It's Love
by RainynDawn
Summary: Hermione Granger had her life pretty much in control, until a young man showed up on her doorstep nearly frozen and disoriented on a February night. No prophecy could have prepared her for what would come out of opening that door.
1. One

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing of this except for the plot bunny that attacked me while I slept. **

**All hail the oh wonderful Sarah who agreed to beta this for me. **

**READ: This story was started for the Granger Enchanted V-day Challenge. It's going to be a short one because of the fact that I want to have it done by V-day. There's a banner posted for it too... so yeah. **

**One**

The smoke billowed out of the tiny chimney on the small cottage at the edge of Hogsmeade. Snow was falling steadily from the heavens as the blistery night wind of February blew through the valley.

The man pulled his parka tighter around him as he stumbled through the high snow banks towards the house. He was shaking almost violently, his breath coming out in tiny puffs as he kept chanting, 'Just a bit farther.' He only hoped that someone would be home at this time of night; he doubted he would be able to make it on to Hogsmeade.

The hood fell low over his face, but what was exposed had been chapped by the wind, his cheeks a harsh pink. He just focused on getting to the cottage door. He needed warmth.

Finally he was there, standing before the quaint door that looked so very inviting. He didn't stop to consider the consequences of his actions as he brought his hand up, knocking on the door. He leaned against it, almost as if he hoped to soak in the warmth radiating from the inside.

He could feel his consciousness start to waver on him as he waited. He sent up a silent prayer to the powers that be that someone, anyone, would come to the door to allow him into the sweet, blissful heat.

His vision was beginning to fade in front of him, the world beginning to tilt sideways. He could feel the cold down to the very tips of his fingers and toes. A whispered plea of "Please," escaped his lips an instant before the door opened and he fell into the black night of unconsciousness.

oooOooo

Hermione wrung the cloth out once more, watching as the steam continued to rise out of the bowl. She situated herself on the bed so that she could reach her unnamed houseguest. She mopped his brow with the cloth.

The colour was finally returning to his skin, though his face was still chapped from the wind. After she got his body temperature back to normal, she would go brew a potion to help heal the skin.

She had already stripped him of most of his clothing. She was extremely thankful that he wasn't like most of her male friends who had not discovered the art of boxers, something she had found out quite on accident.

She placed the cloth back into the steaming bowl of water and rose to tend to the fire. It was more important now than ever to keep it blazing so that his body could soak up the warmth. She glanced back towards the couch as she knelt near the fire and was very tempted to floo Harry or one of the twins. The man was a big man and he could easily overpower her if he wanted to. Well…when he was up to it, of course. More than that, though, she felt…weird when she looked at him. She honestly couldn't explain the feeling; it was one she had never felt before.

"Stop being ridiculous," she chastised herself, running a hand through her hair. She glanced once again to the man lying on her couch and frowned. He looked so familiar and yet she couldn't fathom who he could possibly be. He had no wand on his person or anything to identify him as a wizard. She would have to tread carefully just in case he happened to be a muggle.

She shoved another log into the fire and used the poker to stir the flames. She was half-tempted to use magic to make the fire last longer than it would the muggle way. She pushed the urge away, and instead rose to gather some blankets from the upstairs closet.

When she took the blankets back downstairs and started to cover the man, she soon discovered that he was not as weak as she had originally thought. His hand gripped her wrist almost painfully as his eyes shot open. Crystal-clear grey eyes met hers as he jerked her down so that she was at his mercy.

Hermione felt anger boiling up inside of her. "You can just let go of me right now or I'll kick your frost-bitten arse right out in the snow."

He stared at her for a couple of seconds longer, his eyes glazed over with confusion. He blinked and she noticed his gaze softening. His grip loosened on her wrist, though he didn't let go of it, as he muttered a soft, "Sorry."

That stirring in the lower pit of her stomach she had experienced earlier when removing his damp clothing started up again under his intense stare. "Um," she stuttered, "can I…?" At a loss for words, she merely motioned that she wished to stand back up.

He glanced down at where he still held her wrist and instantly released it. "Sorry," he muttered again. He rolled back to get more comfy on the couch as she picked the blanket back up.

He finally noticed that he was almost naked. "Where are my clothes?"

She spread the blanket over him. "In the laundry." She straightened after tucking the blanket around him and pulled down her shirt. "First rule of tending a person out in the cold for too long: Take the wet clothes off and get near heat."

A sparkle lit up his eyes as he looked her over. "Actually, I do believe they suggest that you use body heat to get the person warm…most often by getting naked."

She glared at him before spinning away with an angry huff. "I should have let you freeze," she growled, as she stalked off toward the kitchen. She heard him start to get up to follow her and instantly barked out an order for him to stay on the couch. She ladled out some of the soup she had fixed earlier into a bowl and stuck it in the microwave. Better to play it safe until she learned who he was.

She fixed a cup of tea and placed it on a tray with the bowl of soup. She took it into him and helped him sit up so he could eat better. Taking the chair across from him, she studied him as he ate.

"Thank you," he said as he finished up with his meal. He moved the tray to the coffee table and then leaned back against the couch, studying her. "For everything."

"You're welcome," she said with a slight blush. This man made her nervous. She didn't know why. She could easily just stun him and floo for her friends if he tried to do anything, but she didn't really fear him. No, the only thing she feared was the feeling in the bottom of her stomach every time she looked at him or felt his gaze on her. "Are you warm?"

He grinned. "Very." He pulled the blanket a little lower to rest around his waist, displaying his toned chest. "I am grateful you were home. I honestly don't know how long I had been walking around before I saw your cottage."

She frowned. "Where are you from?"

"Near London," he answered vaguely.

"You're far from home, aren't you? What were you doing in this area?"

She could see the hesitation in his expressions as he studied her. He didn't trust her; not that she could blame him as she far from trusted him. "I don't know exactly," he answered finally. "I just woke up and was out in the woods."

Her frown deepened as she moved her hand further down so that she could grab her wand if need be. "You just woke up in the woods? With no recollection of how you got out there?"

He sensed her disbelief and glanced at her hand quickly. "I think I got hit with something." He decided not to mention that he believed that it had been a spell he had been hit with. The appearance of the cottage and everything inside suggested she was a muggle.

"Really?" Her brow rose slightly as se continue to stare at him. She shook her head slightly, as if to clear it. "Who are you?"

He opened his mouth to answer her but a sudden knocking at the door saved him. He turned towards the sound even as she stood to go over and answer it. He saw that there was nowhere he could hide; he was in direct view of the door. He would just have to hope that it was no one that would recognize him until he knew for sure that he was safe.

"Oh, hello," he heard her say as she stared at the person on the other side. "What are you doing here? It's almost eleven."

"I just came to check on you." The voice was male and someone who knew the woman well from the sound of it. "You didn't join Luna and I for dinner and we were worried about you. It's not like you to miss a dinner."

He watched as she pressed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. "Oh Merlin, Harry, I am so sorry. I completely forgot that I was supposed to come over for dinner tonight." She reached out and grabbed one of his hands, her smile beguiling as she said, "Forgive me?"

The male on the other side of the door gave a little chuckle. "Of course, Hermione."

_Hermione_. He tried the name out in his mind and found he quite liked how it sounded. He was sure it would feel even better to feel the name roll off the tongue.

"So can I come in or are you going to keep me out here in the cold all night?"

He froze at the question and could see Hermione stiffen up as well. She relaxed slightly as she scratched her head. "Harry," she started slowly.

"You've got someone in there, don't you?" The male, Harry, replied. "Who is he?"

"Harry…"

"Come on, Hermione, I won't tell. Well, I'll tell Luna of course, but I won't tell the twins. I promise."

"I don't know," she muttered finally and there was an instant silence followed by a loud cry of, "What?"

The door slammed open and her friend stepped into the room. His messy hair made him seem very wild as his green eyes flashed behind the glasses. He had his wand drawn, confirming that this was the household of a witch.

"Harry!" Hermione chastised as he lunged between him and her friend. "Put that away this instant." When he finally lowered his wand, though it took a while, she hissed, "Are you crazy?"

He looked affronted. "Me? You're the one who brought a strange, half-naked male into your home and…Wait. Why is he half-naked?"

"He was out in the snow and passed out at my door, Harry. He was in the beginning stages of hypothermia. I couldn't just let him freeze and die."

"No, but you could have called for someone to take him off your hands. Oh, say, a Healer!" Harry was breathing heavily as he glowered at his friend. "He could be a Death Eater, Hermione. Did you ever think of that?"

"Actually, considering the fact that he didn't have a wand, I assumed he was a muggle," she snapped back. "In which case, now I'll have to perform a memory charm on him to insure that he doesn't go blabbing."

Harry looked slightly sheepish as he glanced down at the wand still held tightly in his hand. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," she said, still glowering at Harry. She turned back to him and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I will have to erase your memory now…"

"No need, I'm a wizard."

The room instantly froze as the two of them stared at him warily. He decided to ignore the male friend at the moment and concentrated on his saviour. She was staring at him disbelievingly and maybe even a little relieved?

"You are?" she questioned softly. "Where's your wand?"

He didn't have a clear answer to that question so he decided on the truth. "I honestly have no clue. I had it on me when I was hit on the head, but I couldn't find it to apparate when I woke up. Hence I was walking through the snow for a long time."

"Hmm," was the only sound she made. She was still trying to decide whether she should trust him or not. "Are you a Death Eater?" she asked finally.

He froze up. How to answer that one? It was obvious that they were both on the 'good' side from the way they were acting earlier at his possible allegiance. "Not…exactly."

Harry had his wand back up and even Hermione moved her hand down to where she had hers hidden. "Not exactly?" Harry growled.

Hermione once again raised her hand to stop him from throwing a spell at him. "What do you mean, not exactly?" she asked calmly.

"Well, I did join him in the beginning because it was expected of me, but my loyalties don't lie with him anymore. I have a plan to destroy him."

If anything, the room grew more silent at that as they both stared at him. Hermione pressed lightly on Harry's hand, getting him to lower his wand. She had a calculating look now as she took him in.

"Hit on the head, you said?" Harry finally asked, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Yeah," was all he said.

"Must have been an awful hard hit."

He frowned this time, looking between both of them as they stared at him. Harry was looking at him as if he was a complete and total loon while Hermione was gazing at him as if he was something from another world.

He finally took a glance around the room. There were many objects that he recognized, but there were many that he had never seen before. He shifted uncomfortably on the couch as his gaze finally drifted back to the two who were staring right back at him.

"Where am I?" he finally questioned softly.

"Near Hogsmeade," Hermione answered, "but I believe you already knew that. The question is not where, but when."

Harry turned to her. "Hermione?"

She ignored Harry as she stepped closer to him, hunching down beside the couch as she took in his features. He looked so familiar, too familiar. "Who are you?"

He found himself lost in her inquisitive eyes and couldn't help grinning. "You already asked that, love," he purred, noticing how his words caused her to flinch slightly.

"Who are you?" she repeated, this time her tone more demanding.

He frowned ever so slightly at her. She was acting as if the answer just might kill her. "My name is Regulus Black."

**Just so you know, I'm getting ready to move so there will be a week or so where you probably won't hear anything from me. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Two

**DISCLAIMER: As much as I would like to make the claim, I do not own Harry Potter.**

**Thanks to Curse Weaver for beta-ing this chapter for me... and thanks to Sarah (beta) who puts up with my whining... Sorry, love, for burdening you with everything...and the constant whining...lol Love you both!**

**Two**

Hermione sipped at her tea almost two hours later. Midnight had come and gone and she still couldn't sleep after the shocker that had came earlier that evening. She really didn't expect to get any sleep, though, not with everything bouncing around in her mind.

It had taken her quite a while to convince Harry to leave. He hadn't believed Regulus and considered him a nutter who should be placed in St. Mungo's as quickly as possible. She believed him, though. The look in his eyes as he realized the severity of the situation was too honest, too frightened to be anything but true.

She set in the small window seat as her mind drifted back to her new houseguest. Yes, she had allowed him homage for a while until she could figure out what to do with him. Though Grimmauld place was technically his home, Harry now lived there and did not wish to welcome him into the doors.

_How was he even alive?_

That question plagued her like no other. She always had to have the answer to anything, and when she didn't know or have the answer, it frustrated her. She frowned at the puzzle that had been presented to her.

She groaned loudly as she leaned her head back against the window frame. She couldn't get him out of her mind long enough to even sleep and that was seriously starting to bug her.

Well, at least she knew why he looked so familiar.

When he had disclosed his name, the first thing that went through her mind had not been, 'How did he get here' or 'How hard did he bump his head.' It had been, 'Wow, he looks remarkably like Sirius.'

And he did. The only thing was, he had a more 'rough and tumble' look about him than Sirius. They were both sexy as sin, though, in a way only a Black could achieve.

Her face reddened at that thought. She should not be thinking of either of them in that manner, but almost instantly she thought back to the way he had looked splayed out on her couch in only his…

_Don't go there_, she warned herself as she huffed angrily. She banished her cup away with a quick wave of her wand. She pulled her hair back from her face to keep her mind busy for a little while and braided it. Of course the wild curls refused to be tamed and so stuck out at all angles, making her look a little more wild than usual.

The stars were shining brightly even through the haze of snow, she was pleased to see. If there was one thing that comforted her, it was being able to look up at the stars. Her father used to take her out all the time to gaze up at them, but those days were long past and her parents had long since been lowered into their murky graves.

Her eyes drifted to the Dog Star on their own accord. _Sirius…._ She missed him more than she would ever admit to anyone. Sure, they had argued and bickered over silly little things, but when it all came down to it, she had admired him.

And now he was gone and his little deviant brother was here….alive….in her house.

She turned her head away from the window and shut her eyes against the painful onslaught of thoughts that rushed her. Alone in her room she forced herself to fess up to what had been bothering her downstairs- she found Sirius' little brother attractive.

Not just a little attractive, _very_ attractive. His shaggy hair was just begging for her hands to run through it while his eyes, oh Merlin those eyes! The icy grey had the ability to hypnotise her and she was powerless to them. And heaven knows his body was a fine piece of art.

But she shouldn't even be going there, she reminded herself.

He was her houseguest. Yes, just her houseguest until they could figure out what to do with him or how to restore him to his time. If it was even worth returning to…

She stiffened at the thought. If they returned him, it would most likely be around the time that he was betraying Voldemort. She just wondered if he had already taken the locket or not. He had merely said that he had a plan to destroy Voldemort. Yes, that could be a problem.

The knock at her door startled her to the point where she jumped only to fall out of the window seat and flat on her butt. She puffed out a large breath to get the hair out of her face as she looked towards the door.

There was only one possible person that could be on the other side. Maybe she could just pretend she was asleep and he would go away…

"I know you're awake."

_Bugger_. "Come in."

She watched as he opened the door slowly, peeking his head through first. His brow rose at her position, but he didn't say anything as he continued further into the room. Instead, he walked over to her and offered her a hand.

"Thank you," she muttered as she took his hand and got to her feet. She pushed her hair further from her face as she stared up into his misty grey eyes. Remembering her earlier thoughts on those eyes, she looked down.

Oh yeah, that was a huge mistake. Her gaze stopped on his lips, hypnotized by the shape. They would fit perfectly over hers, she'd bet…

_Whoa there, Hermione_, she yelled at herself, _don't go there_. She hastily closed her eyes and counted to ten. She had to get a grip on herself. Really! She was twenty years old, for Merlin's sake, not a bumbling, blushing school girl.

"What can I help you with?" she asked as she finally reopened her eyes to find him smirking at her.

"I couldn't sleep," he stated simply with a small shrug.

"So you decided to come wake me up?"

He looked over pointedly at the made up bed and then back at her still dressed in jeans and a sweater. "Uh huh." He didn't press the issue, though. "So, a lot has changes, hasn't it?"

She offered him a small smile as she shrugged. "Depends, really. Some things have changed greatly, especially in the muggle world. The wizarding world, not so much. With Voldemort finally gone, though, it is beginning to change."

"How so?"

"The people are different for one thing. You couldn't imagine how it was when he came back. People were afraid to leave their own houses and…" She cut off when she looked up to see the expression on his face. "But I guess you would know all about that, wouldn't you?"

He quickly masked the features on his face as he shrugged. "Not really." She could see the strain on his face even as he smirked at her. "I was on the other team, remember? I was the one making them feel fear, torturing them, and even sometimes killing them."

An involuntary shudder ran down the length of her spine at his words, but she forced herself to remain still. The tone of his voice suggested more than anything that he did not like to dwell on his past and the crimes that he had committed. And anyway, he had to have had a reason to want to stop Voldemort.

"Why did you decide to turn against Voldemort?" she asked suddenly.

Another shrug. "Nothing better to do."

She copied his earlier noncommittal sound, "Uh huh." Deciding to brush it off for now, she resumed her seat in the window and motioned for him to sit as well. "I thought maybe tomorrow we could go to the Hogwarts library to start looking for you a way back and…"

"Why?"

Shocked, she blinked twice as she stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, why? We have to get you back. Do you realize what your appearance here could do to the timeline?"

"Well, apparently from what I was told, I was just going to die anyway."

"Yeah, but you played a key role in the final outcome of the war. You have to go back and get the Horcrux so that Harry will be able to destroy it. It's because of…"

He interrupted her with a wave of his hand and a scoff. "I've already done that. Kreacher and I retrieved the locket from the cave three days ago."

It took a moment for his words to sink in, her mouth opening and closing as she digested the information. "You…have? Already?"

"Yes, so I don't see what the big deal would be if I stayed." He gave her a smile that had those damn tingles running through her body once again. "Besides, didn't you say that I had disappeared? That my body wasn't found?"

"What's your point?" she asked suspiciously. He was going about this way too cleverly to not have a point.

"Well, what if they didn't find a body because my body had gone to the future?" He smiled once again. "What if I was meant to come here?"

She snorted. "And why would you be meant to come here? "

The smile faded off his face as he appeared in thought, staring over his shoulder up into the sky. "I don't know. To right some wrongs? Make up for my past?" He turned his head to look straight into her eyes. "Or maybe just to live."

Oh yeah, those eyes could definitely hypnotize, she decided as she found herself lost in them. It was like being out in a blizzard, only there was no coldness, only warmth. She scoffed mentally as she caught herself. She was beginning to sound corny even in her own head.

"Still," she said weakly, shrinking under the intensity of his stare, "it wouldn't hurt to look, would it?"

He leaned forward. She could smell the mint from the body soap she kept in the guest shower on him. She had bought it for Harry to use whenever he stayed over, but never had she found the smell so…delicious.

_Stop!_

She drew in a deep breath as she forced herself to remain still and not react to his close proximity. An image of Snape in a dress came to mind and she instantly calmed. _Thank you, Neville_.

"I don't want to go back."

There she went, doing that fish thing again! Her mouth opened and closed on its own, even as she tried to form a coherent thought. As one who generally had an answer to everything, she didn't relish the feeling of being speechless.

"But…you have to," she finally managed to sputter out.

"Actually," he replied with that same smirk that she had seen on Sirius over the years, "I don't. If my theory is correct, that being that my disappearance was actually caused by me coming here, if I do go back, I could mess up the entire timeline and prevent Voldemort from finally being destroyed."

Oh, he was clever, but not quite clever enough. "If that is so, then I believe we still need to go to Hogwarts to do some research just in case," she reasoned.

"In case of what?" he argued, rearing back finally and out of her sniffing range.

She smiled in victory. "Just in case that you are supposed to go back. We wouldn't want to mess up the entire timeline, now would we? If you're supposed to go back- which I believe you are- then you'll go, and if not…"

"If not I stay," he pressed, his eyes narrowing slightly.

She stared at him as he looked at her. When he was looking at her like that, she could almost picture Sirius sitting there beside her.

Only he wasn't Sirius. He wasn't anything like Sirius. She certainly had never felt anything akin to what she was feeling now around Sirius.

Everything about him- his persona, his mannerisms, his dark intensity- was his own and nothing like those of his brother's.

She jumped when his fingers ghosted over her cheek. Her eyes widened as his face loomed closer to hers. "I'm not Sirius," he whispered.

Startled eyes met his clever ones. "What?" she gasped. _Oh, please don't say I said anything out loud_, she vehemently prayed.

"Your face is an open book," he replied, just as soft. "Your emotions are worn on your sleeve for the world to see. You should really try to hide them."

She swallowed and lowered her eyes. That is, until he made his next statement. "You are in love with my brother."

The laugh rose and spilled forth before she could stop it. She even doubled over from the sheer intensity of her hysteria as tears pooled from her eyes. She knew she must appear a loon, but really, _her_ in love with _Sirius_? It was preposterous!

She shrugged him off with a wave of her hand when he asked her whether she was alright. It took her a full minute to regain her composure, and even then she was chuckling at the absurdity of his declaration. "I am not, nor was I ever, in love with your brother."

The fact that he didn't believe her shone clear in his eyes. "Uh huh."

"Really," she asserted, leaning towards him this time with a smile on her face. "We couldn't be in the same room without bickering over something, even if it was minimal."

"When we were little, he told me that if I teased a girl that meant I liked her."

Her smile widened as she took his hand unconsciously. "Believe me when I say it wasn't teasing. We just couldn't agree on anything, mainly on Harry." She laughed lightly. "I admired him greatly, don't get me wrong, but the man really knew how to push all the right buttons."

He returned her smile. "Sounds like him."

"He was an amazing man. He really loved Harry, but he hated this house." She looked up at him. "I looked up to him, but in a completely platonic way. He was like an older brother, a really old one. Only in that way did I love him."

He nodded even as he stared down at her hand in his own. When he lightly brushed his finger over the back of her knuckles, she shivered. He moved his fingers through her own and she found herself entranced by his actions.

"May I ask a question?" he asked suddenly, drawing her out of her trance.

"Sure," she said, blushing as her voice cracked slightly.

He looked up from their joined hands and straight into her eyes. "Will you answer me honestly? No lies, no skating around the truth, just plain, unabashed honestly?"

"Sure," she said after some hesitation. She didn't figure whatever he asked was going to be good if he thought she might lie about it. Then again, it couldn't be _too_ bad.

"Why do you keep referring to my brother in the past tense?"

Or maybe it could.

Frowning, she gave his hand a light squeeze as she got to her feet. "Come on, I think you could use a drink."

**A/N: I think it's important to note that Sirius and Regulus are brothers so they'll be alike in many aspects (mischieviousness, temperment, etc), but they are two completely different people at the same time. Sirius openly rebelled and had a group of friends to turn too, Regulus was left with his dark and twisted family and his choice of friends wasn't much better. I could go on and on about this, but I won't... **

**Love ya all!**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	3. Three

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter**

**Love and cookies to my WONDERFUL and AMAZING beta Sarah who is simply divine... And a big ol' cyber hug to Curse Weaver for helping me and pushing me when I got stuck on this story... You guys are AMAZING!**

**Three**

This may have been a mistake.

Hermione was currently in a mental argument with that tiny little voice inside her head that chose to surface at the most inopportune time, such as the current one. The voice inside her head kept telling her that this was for the best, but her heart was telling her something completely different.

It was because of Regulus that she was now in this mental debate. He stood just inside the other room with a look on his face that she had become quite familiar with over the years. It was one that had been mirrored on hers just about four months ago.

She shouldn't have brought him here; she knew that in the very pit of her soul. That little voice, though, kept nagging that it was better to face her problems and grow stronger.

After informing Regulus of his brother's demise late last night, she had made the split second decision to bring him to the Black House. She had had to convince Harry to leave for a little while which had proved tricky since he still didn't care for the youngest Black. She had managed to get Luna on her side, though, who in turn convinced Harry that a trip to Diagon Alley was in order.

Now that she was here with him, she could see that maybe this was just a little too much too soon. The harsh reality that he was one of the last Blacks left seemed to weigh heavily on him.

Squaring her shoulders, Hermione mentally squashed the little voice and made her way over to the time traveler. "Regulus?" she inquired softly as she placed a hand on his arm.

"Hmm?" He didn't turn to look at her. His eyes were fastened on the Black family tree spread across the walls. More importantly, they were focused in on the spot which had once supported Sirius' grinning face before he was blasted off in a mad fit.

"Maybe we should come back another day," she suggested. "You know, when you've had time to digest all of this, and…"

"No," he interrupted quickly with a shake of his head.

Hermione let out a soft sigh as she stepped closer to him. "Look, Regulus, I used to hate when people would tell me this, but I _do _know what you're going through."

A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he rounded on her, his eyes hard. "Do you? I find that hard to believe. Little Miss Perfect has probably had a perfect life."

"Excuse me?" she practically hissed. Her eyes were narrowed to angry slits as she fisted her hands on her hips. "You don't know me, so don't presume to know what hardships I have faced in my life."

He rolled his eyes sarcastically at that. "Please, Princess, the worst thing that has probably happened to you in this life has been a broken nail."

With an angry cry, she jabbed him in the chest with a finger. "Do you think you're the only one that can be hurt, Regulus? Do you think you're the only one to be marked by death? Think again, buddy boy, you're not that special. Everyone has their ups and downs, but we don't moan and groan about it."

"Oh please, and you really expect me to believe that you've had it so hard in life?" He took an angry step towards her, grabbing the hand that was jabbing him. "What? You lost a couple of friends to the war and suddenly you think you know everything about death."

"I have never claimed to know everything about death; few do. I do, however, know a few things about loss and hurt." She tried to pull her hand back, but he held on with a tight grip.

"What you know about the subject could probably be written on a napkin," Regulus growled.

She froze, her eyes widening as the tears threatened to fall. "That was low, Regulus, even for an ex Death Eater."

"Are you expecting me to apologize?"

Staring up at him, she could see the hurt little boy inside that he was trying so desperately to hide. She could understand his need to lash out, it was how he dealt with pain, but his methods were unforgivable. "No, no I don't."

She jerked her hand from his grasp and spun around, intent on leaving him alone for a few hours. She stopped, though, when she reached the door and his voice snapped at her like an angry whip.

"You don't understand a damn thing, Princess. You've had your perfect life and you don't know what the hell I've been through so don't you dare say that you understand. I am the only one left."

She drew in a steadying breath even as the tear escaped her eye. She didn't turn around as she whispered a soft, "So am I," before swiftly exiting the house.

oooOooo

It was by mutual consent that neither party talked about what had transpired the previous day. When Hermione had arrived back at Grimmauld Place, she had joined Regulus without a word and apparated both of them back to her house. Both parties had then separated to their respectable ends of the house and stayed there for the duration of the evening.

Hermione had always hated fighting. It had been, and still was, one of her major downfalls. She would desperately hold her position during the fight, and even manage to maintain her anger afterwards, but as time wore on she wanted to snap the tension and return to the way things were.

Regulus, on the other hand, had never been taught to forgive. Worse, his pride forbade him to go to her and apologize for his callous remarks. Words said in anger were often the hardest to retract. He knew this, and yet he didn't know how to make things right.

Hermione had made the decision in the early hours in the morning to merely go to work as usual and then worry about it when she arrived home. That way, it would give them both more time to cool off, and her time to find a solution to the situation.

But the Fates often have different plans.

Hermione was just placing the tea kettle on the stove when she heard his door open. She quickly busied herself in the kitchen in hopes that he wouldn't bother her. She opened the fridge door and dove in, rifling through the contents to find the cream. When she shut the door, it was only to find Regulus standing right beside her, looking like a member of the dead.

"Are you alright?" Mothering instincts instantly kicked in as she shoved the cream to the side and pressed a hand to his forehead. "You're not too hot, but maybe you're coming down with something. Go lay down and I'll bring you some…"

"Hermione, stop," he pleaded as he grabbed both of her hands before she could turn away. He frowned slightly as she gazed up at him worriedly. "Do you always do this?"

"What?" she asked, generally confused.

"Fret over an arse that deserves every ounce of anger you can boil up to throw at him? You should be yelling at me, hitting me, cursing, throwing me out or something. Not trying to get me back to health."

Hermione stared at him for a moment or two before finally muttering, "I don't curse."

Disbelief marred his features as he stared down into her chocolate eyes before he burst out laughing. "Oh, Princess, you're one of a kind."

She screwed up her face. "Why are you calling me that?"

"Because you remind me of one," he stated simply. "You hold yourself regally, you are so bloody sure of yourself." He smirked as he leaned down closer to her. "Besides, with how Harry treated you last night, I'm sure you're probably guarded like a Princess, never let out to where the big bad world can hurt you."

"They can't protect from everything," she said almost instantly and immediately regretted her words. The argument from the day before hung between them like a thick blanket.

"About that," he began, but she instantly cut him off. "Look, Regulus, I really need to go to work. I have some Potions in my medicine cabinet if you start to feel under the weather, so help yourself to them. I have plenty of food around here if you get hungry. I don't suggest you travel anywhere today…"

A well placed finger to the lips stopped her mid-sentence as she looked up into his laughing eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk a lot?"

"All the time, actually."

He chuckled while shaking his head. "Alright, Princess, go to work and have fun. I promise I'll be a good boy and stay here all day."

"Good, and where are the potions?"

"In your medicine cabinet," he answered dutifully. "I'll be fine, Hermione. I've survived many a day by myself so I'm sure today isn't going to be any different."

She snorted. "Only that you're in a different time period."

"There is that," he agreed with a small smirk. "Go," he said finally, ushering her towards the door.

"But, my tea," she protested, pointing to where the kettle still set on the stove.

"I'll clean it up," he assured her. "And if you want a cup, you can always stop somewhere and get it to go. It'll be better than the tea you make."

She huffed indignantly. Sure, she knew that she didn't make the best cup of tea, but he didn't have to put it like that. "Well…"

He finally managed to get her completely to the door and opened it. "Everything is going to be alright. I won't set the place on fire, I won't leave, I won't knock myself unconscious, and I won't tear up anything."

She smiled despite herself as she shoved her arms in her cloak and pocketed her wand. "Floo call me at work if you need anything, and if you can't reach me there, try Luna. She stays at home all day since she just writes articles for her father."

"Oh yeah, what was it that she told us she was working on? The mating habits of a," he frowned as he sought for the right creature, "what was it?"

Hermione sighed good-naturally. "A three-legged right-wing wimbus-wambus." Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she added, "They're very rare, you know."

He laughed along with her and they stood in the doorway. "I can't say that I like the man much, but I just wonder how Harry has the strength to put up with her day in and day out."

Hermione shrugged slightly as a smile brightened her features. "He loves her." She cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I'll be back around three. If you're up for it, I'll take you to Diagon Alley this evening to get a new wand."

"Sure." He leaned forward, on impulse, and brushed his lips across her forehead. Both froze as if unsure how to proceed after that. He was still dangerously close to her, and she was staring up at him through wide eyes. "Have a good day, Hermione," he said finally, his baritone voice causing a tingle to course through her.

"Yeah," she muttered, her voice cracking only slightly, as she pulled back, "you too."

oooOooo

For a day that had started out horrible, it ended remarkably well. The previously fighting parties were now curled up on the couch after eating a hearty meal. They each had their own book, lost in the imaginary worlds that the authors had crafted.

Hermione had taken him to Diagon Alley for some much needed shopping directly after work. She had convinced him, after some heated debate, to allow her to pay for his stuff. She had to concede and grant him his wish of paying her back once he had a source of income. Hermione had made a mental note at that time to talk to Harry about getting some of the Black inheritance for him.

Hermione had missed hanging out with someone. Sure, she still had Harry and sometimes the twins, but they all had their own life. After Ron, Ginny, and many more had died in the war, she had felt a piece of herself distancing her from the others. Her parents' deaths on top of it all had been the last straw. It hadn't even been the war that had taken them, but a car accident merely four months ago.

That was when the wall had gone up all around her.

She had purchased her little cottage only two weeks after her parents had died. She was on the outskirts and so wasn't bothered by the everyday hustle and bustle of life. She was far enough away so that visits weren't a regular occurrence, but close enough had she the need of company.

In the last couple of days, she had become quite used to having him near. She frowned at that thought. She was becoming way too comfortable with him.

She glanced over at where he sat next to her. His eyes traveled over the words on the page. She smiled as she thought about how none of her other male friends would be content with just reading. Actually, she doubted whether any of them read for pleasure.

He looked up just then and found her staring at him. "What?"

She smiled. "Nothing."

"Uh-huh."

"I was just thinking how nice it is to have someone who actually enjoys reading instead of complaining about it," she told him. "Harry and the twins constantly make fun of my choice of 'light' reading."

"I find it comforting to read," he replied honestly. "Whenever I was a boy and wanted to escape my parents after Sirius left for school, I would always lock myself in the library and stay there for hours. That was one place my parents seldom frequented."

"Why have a library, then?"

"A respectable home is not complete without a library, and my parents would never dream of appearing anything less than respectable."

She nodded as she still studied him. She glanced down at the book in his hands and then at his arm. Frowning, she looked back up at him. "Your Dark Mark."

"What?"

"Your Dark Mark." She lunged forward and grabbed his left arm, shoving the sleeve up. "You don't have one," she said, even as she stared at his arm.

He, too, frowned as he stared down at his left arm, touching the skin which had once sported the black mark. "That explains why you didn't throw me out the first night."

"Pardon?"

"Well, I'm sure that if you would have seen the Dark Mark on my arm, you would have thrown me right back out into the snow." He looked up at her. "Any theories?"

She shook her head while running her fingers over his bare skin. "No, but I haven't really been in contact with any other ex Death Eaters lately." She stood suddenly and walked over to her desk in the corner. Her quill danced quickly across the page as she finished off the note and sent it on its way.

She stiffened slightly when he came up behind her suddenly, his body trapping her at the window. She could feel his body heat through her own clothing and had to take a few deep breaths to steady herself.

"Got a lead?"

She jumped slightly as he breath spread over the fine hairs of the back of her neck. "Oh… maybe." She pushed the few tendrils that had escaped her bun away from her face. "We'll see in a bit."

"Are you sure that they'll respond quickly?"

"I'm hoping." She turned and ducked under his arm. "We might as well go back to reading while we wait."

"So that's it? You're not going to tell me anything?"

She sighed as she raised her gaze to meet his angry one. "I can't tell you what I don't know. Until I get a reply, I really don't know. I have a guess, but like I said, I haven't exactly been on friendly terms with any Death Eaters."

He smirked at her. "Alright, alright, you don't have to be so snappy."

"I am not snappy," she cried indignantly. "Now leave me alone. I want to finish my book."

He was chuckling as he resumed his seat beside her, sitting slightly closer this time. She was aware of every move he made, of the soft sounds he made while reading his own book.

_Oh get over it, Hermione_. She forced herself to return to her book. She didn't know how much time had elapsed before an insistent pecking on the window drew her attention. Looking up, she saw her barn owl, Hermes, sitting on the windowsill.

She could feel Regulus' eyes on her as she unrolled the letter and read over the contents. "Well, this certainly explains it," she said as she looked up at him and held out the note.

**I hereby promise that I will have all of this posted before V-day, even if I have to post every single chapter on the 14th, I will have it up. If not, you may pelt me with brownies or something else that is soft and won't hurt all too much.**

**Love and Cheerios!**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	4. Four

**DISCLAIMER: Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter...**

**Thanks to my wonderful beta Sarah who is simply amazing and to Curse Weaver, my butt-kicker, who keeps me motivated. **

**Four**

Hermione woke up the next morning and did something she had never done before- she called in sick to work. It had been purely on impulse, and she honestly couldn't explain why she had done it.

She decided since she was going to do something, she was going to go the distance, and with that she decided to wear her pajamas. Oh yeah, she felt like a real rebel.

She sashayed into the kitchen, her flannel pink kitten pants giving her an extra bounce in her step. Only one other person had seen her secret luxury, and that had been Harry. She had kept them secreted away after he emphasized on the point that no one past the age of three wore flannel pajamas with booties. She didn't care what he said, she loved them.

She filled her kettle up and placed it on the stove. With a flick of her wrist, the Wizard Wireless turned on to the latest song by Knightmare. She danced along to the beat as she made her way around the kitchen, fixing herself and Regulus a hearty breakfast.

"…and I will make it…."

"Well, this is certainly blackmail material."

Hermione screamed as she turned around sharply, a hand flying to her chest. She scowled when she saw Regulus leaning casually against the doorframe, a roguish grin on his face as he looked her up and down. "I thought you were asleep."

That grin, if possible, became even bigger as he straightened and began to glide towards her. "I was, but then someone started singing and I thought I would come investigate." His eyes sparkled mischievously as they darted down her frame and back up. "And oh, how I'm glad I did."

She crossed her arms over her chest as she glowered at him. "You would do well to remember that you are a guest in my home, and that I cook the meals."

"Is that a threat?"

"A promise," she clarified with a small, almost hidden, smile. "Now go sit somewhere while I finish breakfast."

He laughed as she shooed him away from the kitchen and into the sitting room. She really looked quite cute in the flannel pajamas, though he personally thought that whoever had invented the atrocities that hid the delicious curves of a woman should be Crucio'd. Really, why would anyone want to stick a potato sack on a woman? She should be dressed up as if she was a living, breathing work of art, amazing in her splendour.

He shook his head as an image of Hermione instantly came to the forefront of his mind. Even in the flannel atrocity, he could picture every last curve of her body. He bet his hands could fit perfectly on her…

He pulled the brakes on that train before it even got a chance to leave the station. She had done too much for him. He refused to take advantage of her by insulting her, even if it was only in his thoughts.

He could still see the look on her face as she shared her theory the previous night about the disappearance of his Dark Mark. She was somewhat hesitant in telling him that she was correct, her eyes wary as if waiting for a sign from him on how to react.

His Dark Mark, she explained, was tied, like every other Death Eater's, to Voldemort himself. He had used a part of himself when branding them so that he could always control them through it. Therefore, it was only natural that when he was destroyed, that link, too, was destroyed, thus efficiently erasing the Dark Mark, as it had done on Lucius Malfoy, her contact.

He was momentarily stunned, his finger absentmindedly flittering over the skin of his left forearm as he drank in the new development. And then, then the flood gates had broken and a smile lit his entire face. She had laughed, too, continuing still when he had leapt to his feet, picked her up, and spun her around.

That was how he knew how it felt to hold her, and Merlin be damned if he didn't want to do it again.

He looked down at his hands now as he remembered how they had slipped slightly beneath her shirt while he had held her. Her skin had been like a hot torch, burning him, and yet he just couldn't find the power to let go. He had wanted to touch more, yearned to feel her skin against his own, and yet, he had pulled back…

He wanted her.

Lust was all it was, he reasoned. After all, he had been in Voldemort's ranks for the previous two years or so and hadn't had a decent shag. It was only natural that being in a close proximity with a comely witch that he would desire her.

At least, that was what he kept telling himself even as she entered the room and he felt his heart start to pump faster.

oooOooo

Harry had crossed enemy lines.

Hermione sat beside Regulus across from a stern looking Harry and a pleasantly humming Luna in what had once seemed like a large sitting room. Now the room only seemed to exacerbate the tension in the room. And it had been like this since the Potters had arrived, all of twenty minutes ago.

Hermione cleared her throat and threw a glance over at Regulus before turning to smile at her best friend. "Harry, I'm so glad you and Luna could come over."

"It's tradition," he said simply, glaring darkly at Regulus, "one in which _he_ is not included."

"Harry," Hermione said in warning, while Luna merely tapped his arm affectionately. "There, there, Harry, dear, we never said that we couldn't add more members to the group."

"We shouldn't have to," he growled.

"Maybe I should leave," Regulus suggested softly, as he started to rise.

Harry's immediate outcry of, "Maybe you should," was drowned out by Hermione's, "Don't be ridiculous."

Regulus looked from one glaring best friend to the other. It seemed as if they were holding their own little private conversation as they held their own ground- Harry still sitting in his seat, Hermione standing with her hand on his arm to stop him.

"He's staying," she said finally, her words directed to Harry. "This is my home, Harry Potter, and I expect you to respect that."

"Hermione, you know who…"

"He is, yes," she finished, holding up her hand to stop him when he would have went on, "and that is all you know, Harry. You don't know _him_, so please don't make judgments until you at least try to do that."

Harry growled softly at being trapped in a corner by her, but didn't argue the point. Instead he muttered a soft, "Fine," and went off in the direction of the kitchen. Luna gave them a small smile as she ran after her husband.

Regulus glanced behind him to make sure they were out of hearing range before turning to Hermione. "Look, maybe I should go. Harry's right, I am not part of your group."

"Don't be silly. Harry's just got his wand up his butt because of who you are." She smiled at him. "Besides, where are you going to go?"

Regulus shrugged even as he considered that question. He really didn't have anywhere else he could go. "Maybe the Three Broomsticks," he said as it popped into his head. "I can get a room there for tonight."

"Now you are really being ridiculous. I want you to feel at home here."

"Yes, but I'm interrupting your life."

She grabbed his hand, giving it a soft squeeze even as she smiled up at him. "Regulus, _I_ want you here. Now you're staying, and you're going to enjoy it."

He couldn't help but grin at her as she stood there looking up at him. "Is that an order?"

"Yes, it is." She pulled at his hand as she turned to follow the other two into the kitchen. When they walked into the kitchen, it was only to find Harry being admonished by his wife. He looked a wee bit sheepish and he cradled his glass in his hands, his eyes downcast. "Wow," Hermione said softly, low enough so that the other two couldn't hear.

"What?"

"It's just…that's something I've never seen before."

Confused, Regulus looked down at her. "What?"

"Luna, scolding Harry." She chuckled softly. "Believe me, if you knew Luna, you'd know why I find it so amazing." She cleared her throat. "Alright, Harry?"

When he looked up at her, she could see the apology in his eyes. Their friendship was so strong that a verbal apology was often superfluous. "Yeah," he finally said, "I think I am."

"Good," Hermione said with a sense of finality in her voice as she clapped her hands. "Let's eat."

_Three and a half hours later…._

Regulus shifted slightly on the couch. His right arm was tingling as it fell asleep, but he wasn't about to move. If he did so, he would wake Hermione up, and he did not want to do that.

After dinner, they had moved to the sitting room to watch a movie. Not long into the movie, Hermione had fallen asleep and somehow had managed to maneuver herself onto his arm with her arm draped over his waist. He didn't mind the position at all.

As he shifted once again ever so slightly, he happened to catch Harry watching him. Raising a brow, he studied the other man who seemed to be evaluating him. Green eyes shifted from him, down to the sleeping form of his best friend.

Whatever conclusion the other man came to, Regulus didn't know, for Hermione chose that moment to wake up. He smiled at her as she looked up at him groggily, still resting on him. "Hi," she whispered softly, a sleepy smile on her face.

"Hi, yourself. Have a nice nap?"

"Splendid, thank you." She yawned, stretching her arms above her head as she moved off of him. "The movie still isn't over?"

"Not yet," Harry answered from his position on the other couch with his arm wrapped around Luna's shoulders. "It doesn't have that much more, though."

Luna yawned, her eyes fighting to stay open. "If it's too much longer, Harry dear, I believe we should depart. After all, it's dangerous to be out with the stargles."

"What's a stargle?" Regulus asked.

"It's a mix between a nargle and a star," Harry and Hermione both answered at once. Hermione smiled and patted his hand at his confused look. "Don't worry; you'll be safe in here."

"Rightly so," Luna said in her dreamlike voice, "they can be quite nasty under the light of the crescent moon. They can't venture indoors, though, when you place an apple seed in each opening of the house."

She stood up and Hermione groaned, knowing what was coming next. "Hermione, you haven't put the apple seeds in the windows or at the doors yet. Don't worry; I have some extra ones in my pockets. Harry, take these to the upper part of the house."

Harry gave her a smile as he rose to please his wife by taking the apple seeds from her hands and going upstairs. As Luna, too, wandered off out of sight, Regulus turned to Hermione. "What was that all about?"

Hermione chuckled softly. Poor Regulus, he hadn't been around Luna enough to know how to handle her. "Don't worry about it. Just take the apple seeds and put them at all the openings if she asks."

"But why?"

"Luna is the spice of life," Hermione answered after a little thought. "I was driven to the point of aggravation when I first met her and had to hear about the creatures she and her father hunted for _The Quibbler_, but now I quite enjoy having her around. Life would be quite dull without her."

"I still don't understand her."

Hermione patted his cheek. "That's just it, you're not supposed to. Take my word for it, enjoy her. You'll never meet another person like her."

Regulus smiled. "Well, I wouldn't be averse to discovering what a three-legged right-wing wimbus-wambus looked like."

Hermione chuckled. "That, I would pay to see."

Regulus stood and offered her a hand. "Come, Princess, let us go clear up the table as they ensure the safety of our humble abode."

Hermione took his hand and walked beside him into the kitchen. She blushed when it came to her attention that he had held onto her hand the entire way, only letting go once they had to grab the plates. Sure, it was silly of her to get excited over something so small, but excited she was.

She piled all the dirty dishes up to wash in the sink, choosing to do it the muggle way, to give her some time to think. She smiled as he handed her the empty bowls once he had emptied the contents into containers to put away. They had their routine for table cleanup down pat already, and it scared her only slightly.

The soap suds ran down the length of her forearm as she paused. She turned to look at Regulus as he wiped down the table, his shaggy black hair falling into his eyes. It was then that she realized that she was starting to like Regulus Black. No longer was it a simple attraction, but an actual feeling that was building up inside her.

_Breathe_, she instructed herself as panic washed over her. She could _not_ have feelings for him. He was going back to his own time; he _had_ to go back to his own time.

"Alright, Princess?"

Hermione dropped the plate she held in her to the floor where it shattered. She let out an aggravated sigh as she dropped to her knees and began to sweep up the porcelain with her hands. Where was the calm, composed girl that everyone harked on her for being? In her place was a twittering, clumsy school girl.

Regulus put his hands over top of her own to stop her movements. "Hermione?" She kept her eyes on the shards of porcelain. Everything she was feeling right now surely had to show in her eyes. "Hermione, look at me."

She closed her eyes and counted to ten; regaining her composure before looking up at him. "Yes?" There, she could talk to him and maintain a steady voice.

His brow furrowed as his gaze swept over her. Finally, he sighed and made her stand. "Why don't you go sit while I clean this."

"No, it's my mess, I'll clean it up. I was the clumsy fool who dropped it."

"Hermione…"

"No." Her hand flew to her forehead as she realized how harsh she had just been. It wasn't his fault that she melted every time he touched or spoke to her, no use taking it out on him. "No," she repeated, gentler this time, "I'll get it."

Regulus watched her scurry from the room with a frown. Something was wrong, that much was obvious. With the way she had acted it had almost seemed as if he had done something, but he was sure he hadn't done…

No, something else must have been wrong.

He heard Harry questioning her and her brushing him off. Harry entered the kitchen with a similar frown as he looked back. "What's wrong with her?"

"She dropped a plate."

Harry raised a brow, but didn't say anything more on the subject. Instead he took a seat at the table and folded his hands. "So, what are your intentions towards Hermione?"

**All moved in. It's amazing how you don't realize what you left behind until you get moved in... **

**Love and Cheerios!**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	5. Five

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own it...**

**Thanks to my wonderful beta Sarah and to Curse Weaver, my second momma...**

**Five**

It was two days after what Hermione had decided to deem the 'incident,' and she was still tiptoeing around Regulus. She had left for work the next morning before he had even stirred from his room, owled him on her lunch hour to tell him that she had an appointment after work, and then went home so late that she used the excuse that she was tired and went to bed.

And today, a Saturday of all days, she had taken off before even the owls had time to rise and made her way to The Leaky Cauldron. Tom, thankfully, was one of those odd souls that kept weird hours, and so he was there to keep her company and fix her breakfast.

It was silly, she knew, to be running from him, but at that moment she didn't know how to handle him. She had had two experiences with men total; one with Viktor Krum which had ended disastrously, and one with Harry. Well, she really wouldn't count Harry among them. It really had only been a kiss and then they were both instantly stammering that it would probably be better to just remain friends.

So by her reasoning, she had a good enough reason to avoid him until she could figure the whole thing out.

"Want anymore pumpkin juice?" Tom asked as he made his way back to her. He refilled it before she even answered and then took a seat across from her. Since they were the only two stirring, there was nowhere else for Tom to be at that moment.

"Thank you." She poked at her eggs with the fork. She had only eaten a piece of toast so far, but she was already full. She didn't feel much like eating.

Tom smiled at her like a parent indulging a child. "Why are you here, Hermione?"

"I needed to get a head start today so I just thought I'd stop by for breakfast." She dutifully drove her fork into the egg and shoved it in her mouth. At least eating would prevent her from having to answer for a moment.

"Hermione, why are you _really_ here?" He placed his hand over hers. "Remember that you are in the wizarding world, full of little gossips."

Hermione sighed, letting her fork clatter to the plate. "Then you know."

"About your houseguest? Yes. However, the juicy bit of news is that no one really knows who he is. There has been speculation, of course, but no clear answer." He rubbed his chin. "I saw him myself, and though I'll never say who he looked like, he did quite resemble a certain young man that died twenty some years ago."

"That's because he is that man," Hermione answered softly. Sighing, she ran a hand over her face. "Somehow, Regulus came back to life."

"Hmm," was the only sound Tom made as he stood from the table. "Good luck today, Hermione, and trust in your heart."

Hermione frowned as he walked away. It seemed as if he knew something, but what, she didn't know. She was surprised how easily he had taken the news that Regulus was alive. Would the rest of the world take it just as easily?

Hermione forced herself to eat the last little bit on her plate before rising and throwing down some coins. The world was slowly beginning to rise as she walked out into Diagon Alley. The stores had yet to open so she basked in the solitude the morning provided.

When she reached the end of the lane and was faced with the Apothecary, she came to a split decision. She pulled her cloak tighter as she apparated to Hogsmeade and set off once more. She glanced over at the Shrieking Shack rather quickly before entering the woods on the path to Hogwart's.

The school was still magnificent. The war had wreaked its damage, of course, but many had pulled together to fix it back to its original condition. The school itself seemed to fix itself as the workers cast spell after spell.

She stopped briefly to reflect upon all the memories she made here. It was funny, really, that the memories that stood out the most were not the happy ones, but the ones used for the greater good, the ones in where they stood together to fight an evil far greater than their adolescent minds could have completely understood then.

They had learned fast, though.

It had not been an easy road for any of them, but surviving had only made them stronger. Now it was just she and Harry; the Golden Trio reduced to the Dynamic Duo.

She was amazed by the sudden prickling in her eyes that warned of tears. She raised a hand and, sure enough, moisture dampened the tips of her fingers. She hadn't cried in a while, not since her parents had died, actually. She had decided as she stood by their fresh graves that she would work on rebuilding her life, not mourning over that which she had lost.

She mentally berated herself for her momentary lapse of weakness and brushed the tears away. She had no reason to cry now, no reason whatsoever, and she really needed to get a hold of herself before someone saw her and thought her mental.

Of course, most would consider her mental for even being active at this time of morning.

Hermione rubbed at her eyes, erasing all signs of tears before setting off at a brisk pace towards the castle. As McGonagall was now the Headmistress, she was sure the older woman would not mind if Hermione popped in at this time to browse through the library. Even if she did mind, well, Hermione would just be a Slytherin about it and sneak in.

As she has suspected, the hallways were deserted. Not even Mrs. Norris or Filch were making their rounds, which was odd considering how often they had almost caught she, Harry, and Ron whenever they would sneak out at all hours of the night.

She shrugged it off. Filch had always been looking for a reason to shove them in detention or get them expelled. He had stalked the halls just looking for them.

Hermione tested the doors of the library. Sometimes the door was locked at night; just for spite, Hermione was sure. Luckily for her, the door had not been locked the previous night so she was able to enter with ease. She don't know what she would have done if it had, by chance, been locked. Using any kind of spell to open it would have alerted someone, which would have blown the whole 'being sneaky' thing.

Hermione took a moment to breathe in the sweet smell of old leather as she entered. It had been a while since she had visited the library here. Sure, she had her own, but nothing could compare to this.

She took a quick glance around before darting into the Restricted Section. She figured that anything that had to do with why and how Regulus came to the future would be located here. She grimaced at some of the books. She had been in here a few times and learnt to never trust a book by its cover.

She ran her finger down the spines of the books as she read their titles. Some moaned and groaned as she touched them, but she just ignored them and kept searching. One book quivered slightly under her touch while another growled, its cover quickly turning to an angry black colour.

"I find that it's always better to simply ask."

Hermione caught herself before she screamed as she turned around quickly to find the source of the voice. Standing… well, floating, behind her was the Bloody Baron, the familiar scowl she remembered from her Hogwart's days on his face. "Sorry."

He gave her an impatient look as he turned away and began to float towards the entrance. When he reached the end of the aisle and saw that she wasn't following, he snapped, "Well, hurry along girl, we don't have all morning."

Hermione ran after him. It really wasn't fair, trying to follow a ghost. He would simply walk through walls and other various objects while she had to dodge and hurry down aisles. He lost her many of times and then would glare at her as if she was the slowest creature on the planet when she finally caught up to him.

When they continued upwards, Hermione began to frown. "Sorry, but where are you taking me?"

"Where you are expected," was all he said in reply. Quite frankly, she was surprised that he had answered her at all. He usually kept to himself, which didn't quite explain why he was communicating with her.

"And where am I expected?"

He didn't answer this time, instead drifted through another wall. She glowered at the wall before hurriedly taking off down the corridor so she could round the corner and catch up with him.

"Bloody…er…Mr. Baron? Could you possibly just tell me where I'm going? I can get there myself, I assure you."

She could have been crazy, but she could have sworn she saw something akin to a smile ghost across his face. "And I assure _you_, you can't without my guidance."

She stopped. "I think you're severely underestimating how much exploring my friends and I did while we were here. I know the castle quite well."

"I'm sure you do," he drawled mockingly, "however, where we are going does not appear on the map that the young Marauders provided you and your friends to wreak havoc."

She merely stared at him as she considered that bit of information. "Not on the map? Everything was on the map."

He raised a brow as he folded his hands behind his back and studied her. "I was informed that you were one of the brightest witches to ever grace Hogwart's." The way he said it informed her that he found that statement hard to believe, which made her bristle. "Now, follow me or not, it is not my question that is sought to be answered."

She glared, but followed him anyway. He was right, she did have a question that she wanted answered, and if there was a way to get it, well, she'd follow him even if she didn't quite trust him.

He led her down a passage she had often traveled with her friends, but stopped at one of the portraits. The Founders stood, each with a smile, except for Slytherin of course, who looked at her as if she was not worthy.

"Miss Granger," Godric Gryffindor drawled with a bow, "it is a pleasure to meet you."

Hermione frowned as she touched the frame. "I've never seen this portrait before."

"We have always been here," Rowena said dreamily as she came to the front of the portrait, "and yet not. Our frame remains waiting for one who needs guidance, and until they arrive we remain behind the scene to see and not be seen."

"Can you answer my question, then?"

Helga, who was sitting beside the fire, knitting, looked up at her with a small smile. "That depends on whether you know the question that you truly want answered."

"Of course I do," Hermione said immediately, only to be cut off by Salazar Slytherin's disdainful scoff. "Typical child; always believing that you know things that are beyond the small capacity of your mind."

Godric tutted at Salazar before looking back at Hermione. "What he means to say, Hermione, is that maybe the question that is most obvious is not the one that needs answered."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but before she could, Rowena spoke. "Dear child, what you seek lies beyond our frame. Guidance comes in many forms; remember that and you find the answer to what it is you seek."

The portrait opened without any further ado to reveal a long, dark passageway littered by torches to light the way. Hermione took one last glance at the portrait before entering the passage.

oooOooo

Regulus continued to lie in bed long after the sun rose high in the sky. He didn't see the point of getting up at the moment. Hermione would have long since left the house anyway. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was avoiding him.

What he couldn't figure out was why.

"No use laying in bed all day, young man."

Regulus instantly had his new wand drawn and pointed at the strange man that was…was he _hovering?…_by his bed. With having lived in the wizarding world all his life, Regulus was quite used to the 'odd' beings that occupied part of the world, but never before had he seen one quite like this.

He was roughly the size of a dwarf with ears like an elf. He had on glittering gold robes and bright gold hair that looked, in short, perfect. Little black wings sprung from his back, flapping slowly to keep the little man hovering as he looked on with a small smile on his face.

"Are you going to get up?"

Regulus gave him another odd look before slowly getting out of bed, making sure to stand on the opposite side. The little man did not seem at all put off by this and merely floated until he was directly over the bed, and then went down with a 'plop.' A delighted little smile came to his face as he tested out the bed with a series of small bounces.

"What are you doing?" Regulus demanded as the little creature began bouncing in earnest on his bed.

"Well, now I certainly see what all the fuss is about. These things are quite comfortable," the little man squeaked. "No wonder you lazy humans lie about on them all day."

Regulus gave him a hard, disbelieving look. "And I suppose you've never slept on a bed before."

"Of course not," the little man answered without pause, trying out the pillow now. "I always sleep on the clouds. Very fluffy. Well, until you get on one with a lot of condensation. Then you just get wet, still comfortable though."

Now Regulus was seriously thinking the man was mental and was running through a list of spells in his head on how best to get rid of him. He wondered if the-

"No, that will not work at all," the little man answered.

"What?"

"The spell you were considering." He smiled outright now, and Regulus was surprised to see little fangs in his mouth. "Spells do not work on me."

Regulus only hesitated for a moment before pointing his wand, once again, at the little _thing_. The spells might not work, but he sure wasn't going to just stand around and not at least try to protect himself. "I don't care how you got in here, just go."

The little wings began to flap again as the man rose from the bed and hovered just in front of Regulus' outstretched wand. "I do not believe this is the appropriate way to treat a guest." He seemed to be thinking as he stroked his chin. "Yes, mother told me that you have a proper decorum on how to treat a guest, and that does not include threatening them or kicking them out."

"And did your mother not tell you that it was rude to go into a place uninvited?"

The little man scoffed as he waved his hand in dismissal of the very idea. "Uninvited? I'm always invited." An odd gleam seemed to light up those little black eyes. "Except by you. I wonder, why do you not invite me in, Regulus Black?"

"Hmm, let's see, shall we?" Regulus drawled sarcastically. "You're a little floating man clearly up to no good, who showed up unannounced and uninvited. I wonder why I wouldn't want you in here."

"Ah, but you have been blocking me for a long time." The little man floated closer. Regulus held his wand steady, determined not to let his guard down for one second. "Even in the past, you blocked me from coming near you. I must say, I am not used to being blocked and I cannot say I like it much."

"Get used to it," Regulus growled. He was really quite annoyed at the fact that he didn't know who the little man was, while he knew his identity.

"No, that, I am afraid, is not an option."

Regulus' wand flew from his hand before he even knew what was happening. He tried to dive after it, but his feet were stuck to the floor. "Let me go."

"I am truly, very sorry, but I cannot leave until you invite me in."

"Get lost, little man," Regulus snapped.

His black eyes seemed almost sad now as he stared at him. "I cannot. You see, young Miss Granger's happiness depends on you letting me in. If you do not invite me in, then your block will never come down and then you will never let her in."

Regulus stared at him in confusion. "Who are you?"

The little man chirped with laughter. "Why, I thought you would never ask." He flew closer until his black eyes were level with Regulus' grey ones. "I have many names with various meanings to each, but for our purposes, you may call me Cupid."

**Sorry, couldn't resist adding Cupid in, it is for Valentine's Day after all and it is the wizarding world... **

**Love and Cheerios**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	6. Six

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter...**

**Many thanks and cookies to my wonderful beta, Sarah, and my dearest adopt-a-mummy, Curse Weaver**

**Six**

Hermione extracted the cobwebs from her being and brushed the dust from her clothes. The tunnel had seemed harmless when she had started out, but as she got further in, it became obvious that it was one not often traveled, as she was covered in the evidence now.

She looked up as she brushed the last cobweb from her hair and froze. The room before her certainly didn't look deserted. In fact, there was even a roaring fire in the fireplace and a tray with food and drink sitting on a little table in front of the couch.

Hermione walked around the room slowly, looking around for who could possibly occupy such a room and remain hidden. Her attention turned to the bookshelf when she reached it, amazed by some of the titles. Some of them were no longer published and others weren't even allowed to be put on the shelves for the materials they contained.

"Amazing, is it not?"

Hermione gave a small startled cry for the second time that day. She glowered at the portrait on the wall of none other than Salazar Slytherin. "What is it with you people and scaring me today?"

"Is it our thought that you do not pay attention to your surroundings?" he drawled mockingly. He took a seat on the only chair in the portrait and studied her. "Take a seat and have some food."

"Thank you," Hermione muttered as she did what he bade.

"Oh, do not thank me," he said instantly with a wave of his hand. "I would not have offered you such luxuries and merely had made you wait."

"What are you doing here, then?" she asked plainly, giving him a harsh look. She refused to feel bad about being rude to one of the Founders when he was going out of his way to be downright spiteful to her.

"I was _kindly_ informed that I was to report here and stand guard until he can come and join you." His sneer told her that he would rather be anywhere else, and she couldn't help but to agree that he should be.

"Who's he?"

"You will discover that when he gets here." When Hermione opened her mouth to respond to that, he cut across her words quickly. "He has a lot of more important things to be doing than answering some questions from a helpless girl, so you should be thankful that he is even bothering coming."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort- she wasn't about to let him insult her without just cause- when another voice joined the conversation. "That will be quite enough, Salazar. Please rejoin your comrades."

"May I remind you, Dumbledore, that I am merely doing this as a favour and I am not in your employ. I refuse to be ordered about."

Dumbledore nodded, a sparkle in his eye as he looked at the Founder. "Yes, Salazar, I am quite aware of that fact. Will you excuse us, please? There are many things Hermione and I have to discuss and such a short amount of time."

Hermione watched as Salazar left the frame and then turned back to the former Headmaster. "Professor Dumbledore, you look well."

He chuckled. "Yes, death does seem to agree with me." He smiled when a bowl full of candies appeared suddenly in front of her on the tray. "I'm afraid I have no lemon drops, but with the holiday fast approaching, I feel these are far more appropriate anyway."

Hermione picked up one of the tiny hearts with words on them. Muggles had been the first to invent them, but wizards had improved on them. Now they were much like Bertie Bott's Jelly Beans with many flavours, some desired and some, not so much. She hesitantly picked up a yellow heart with "It's Love" written in red hoping that it would be lemon or a 'safe' flavour. It had a pleasant melon taste to it, surprisingly one of her favourite tastes.

"Before you ask, this room is an unknown."

"Excuse me, sir?" she inquired in general confusion.

"It is much like many of the room sin the Department of Mysteries. No one knows quite how it came to be, or what its true purpose could possibly be; it just _is_."

"Has no one-"

"Tried to study it?" He chuckled. "Quite a few, but none will ever know as long as it is still needed. Enough about the room, though, and let us discuss what is truly weighing on your heart."

"Mind, sir," she corrected, purely out of habit and at once blushed for doing so.

"Your mind may be what you are trying to convince yourself is trying to solve that which bothers you, but it is your heart which is truly the one questioning." Dumbledore smiled at her as he took a seat in the one that Salazar had just vacated. "Your mind is a powerful tool, Hermione, but it is your heart which is your greatest weapon."

Hermione scowled slightly as she remembered the pain she felt when those she had loved died in the war. That was when the wall inside of her had gone up to efficiently block away all the unnecessary pain. "Feelings can destroy you when you allow yourself to feel too much."

Dumbledore gave her that paternal smile. "When love is your greatest weakness, you will be the strongest person in the world," he quoted.

Hermione stared at him as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Garman Wold said that."

"Yes, and he was quite right." His face became serious as he looked straight at her. "Hermione, I know that loving and allowing yourself can be hard. You're opening yourself up to be hurt, but it's the ones that will not hurt us that make it worthwhile."

Hermione still wasn't convinced wholly. She had lost so many that she didn't know what she would do if she lost someone else. Love was scary, feeling was disastrous.

"Look at Harry," Dumbledore continued. "He has every reason to shy away from love. His parents were stolen from him at the age of one. He grew up in a household that refused to offer him any affection and instead spurned him for who he was. He lost his godfather, whom he had only been allowed to know for two mere years, and then his best friend. Yet, he has found the one person that completes him, and is happy."

"And if I get hurt again?" she asked softly, her eyes downcast.

"The risk of loving someone and getting hurt will never deplete, I'm afraid," he said in total sincerity. "It will continue to grow stronger and more dangerous with time. It is in the surrender, though, of that risk that true love will be born. You just have to have faith."

She stared at him for a moment or two longer. All she could see in her mind were the graves of those she had buried, those who she had loved and had left her. She stood up and faced down the man in the portrait who was looking at her sadly. "This is ridiculous. I came to ask why Regulus is in this time and how to send him back, not a speech on the benefits of love."

"I cannot answer that," Dumbledore said softly after a few heartbeats. His voice was sad, his eyes disappointed. "All I can say is that what is meant to be will often find a way to come to pass."

"So he is supposed to be in this time, then?"

"You know the answer to that already." He turned and began to walk out of the frame, but stopped to turn back to her once more. "Hermione, the fates have a cruel way sometimes with preparing us in a way only they can understand. There will always be falls, some unexpected and cruel so that when we hit the very bottom we will have the ability to survive. There are some times, though, when we just have to take a deep breath and leap."

oooOooo

Hermione didn't linger at Hogwart's after Dumbledore left her alone in the room to think. She carefully avoided anyone on her way out, not really wanting to converse as Dumbledore's parting words lingered in her head. It was still early, but she figured a few would be out and about already.

She knew she would have to apologize to Regulus when she got home. He wasn't Ron, who had been oblivious to everything, surely he had noticed that she had been avoiding him. He hadn't done anything to deserve it.

She formulated the speech over and over again in her head on her way up the front porch, thinking of different ways of apologizing and yet still maintaining a shard of her dignity. She was so distracted by her thoughts that it took her a full minute to realize that there was something wrong.

"What the-"

Words left her.

An explosion of pink, red, and white littered her whole house. Little hearts with arrows through them floated around her ceiling just out of reach and waterfalls of confetti fell at random points, only to stop before they hit the floor. She took out her wand to blast something- or someone- away.

"Wouldn't try that if I were you."

Hermione lifted a brow as she took in Regulus' appearance. Gone were the robes of black and grey they had selected for him. Instead, he wore a dark red robe with white accents. Surprisingly, he could actually pull them off, which was saying something, since they looked atrocious.

"I would hex you for what you did to my house, but I think that," she waved her hand to indicate his outfit, "is punishment enough."

His scowl darkened as he kicked one of the red balloons on the floor out of his way. "I didn't do any of this. In fact, I tried repeatedly to curse the little bugger and he just kept flittering off, making more of a mess."

"Who?" She wanted to know who she was going to kill for this. Oh, this was going too far. It wasn't that she hated the holiday; she merely disliked it and tended to avoid having anything to do with it.

"Cupid."

She really couldn't figure out whether he was being serious or not as she stared at him. He seemed serious enough as he cursed things under his breath that Hermione would never repeat, write, or anything else. He attempted to burst a balloon, which only resulted in two more showing up in its place.

"Cupid, right." She nodded.

He looked up at her then, a serious expression on his face. "I know it sounds absurd, and really, I didn't believe him when he showed up here. For the supposed God of love, he sure is an evil little-" Hermione scowled as he called Cupid a very bad name. "He even looks like a demon with his evil black wings and his evil fanged teeth and-"

"Cupid has fangs?"

"Damn right," Regulus roared, jerking up his sleeve, "he even bit me with them!"

Hermione covered up her laugh with a small cough. "And why, though I'm not even sure why I'm asking, would Cupid bite you?"

"I tackled him when he turned my hair pink," he replied completely serious. He was now moving on to the kitchen so she followed him.

"It's not pink now," she felt the need to point out.

"That's because I made him turn it back. Even though he sure does pack a wallop in that bite of his, I held on until he turned my hair back." He gave a frustrated growl. "I don't understand. Why isn't my magic working on any of this?"

Hermione tried to cast a few spells, but they too didn't seem to work. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "It would seem that being a God overrules our magic. Did he say anything?"

Regulus growled something under his breath before turning back to her. "He said a lot of things, but about this he said that it would right itself in due course. I'm supposing that it'll all go away around Valentine's Day. If it doesn't, the world will have one less God to deal with."

Hermione picked up one of the bananas she kept out on the table to see that it, too, had been hit by Cupid. It was striped pink and white and was shimmering with different phrases like "Be Mine" and "Kiss Me."

Suddenly, with a quick flick of her gaze at Regulus, she took off towards her room at a run. She could hear Regulus curse and then bolt after her, but she didn't slow as she slammed open the door of her room and flung open her wardrobe doors. "Oh that little…" She let her words die off as she grabbed garment after pink garment. "There's no maybe about it," she said as Regulus finally came into the room, "the world _is _going to lose a God. CUPID!"

Regulus watched as she looked up towards the heavens and shouted his name. "I doubt he'll respond. He probably can't even hear-"

With a little 'ping,' a gold heart note with wings appeared in front of his face, beating him until he snatched it from the air. He scowled as he read:

_Mr. Black,_

_I can, in fact, hear everything you say, but forgive me if I tend to tune out anything that suggests by birth was anything but legitimate._

_Please inform Miss Granger that I am sorry that I will not be able to look in on her today. My schedule until Valentine's Day is booked solid, so I will look in after the holidays if she still has need for me. Which I doubt she will if you act upon everything I told you, of course._

_Best of the holidays,_

_Cupid_

_PS. Please don't hurt the Cherubs. They're on loan from the big guy._

"What did he say?" Hermione asked as the note fluttered away. She was clutching her wand tightly as if she'd like nothing better than to send off a spell or two at it.

"He said to inform you that his schedule is booked and he'll look in on you after the holidays, if of course, you still need him then."

She looked quite scandalized. "How am I supposed to fix all of this, then?"

Regulus sighed. As much as he hated all the corny decorations, he was afraid that he didn't know what else to do, save burning the place down. Knowing their luck, Cupid would find some way around that. "I honestly don't think we have much of a choice, do you? Maybe after a few days we'll get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it," she pouted, as she flopped down on her bed. "I want my home back to the way it was before-" she stopped, slapping a hand to her mouth before she could go on.

"Before I came," he finished with an understanding look. He walked over to the bed and set down beside her. "I understand, you know. I have a knack for bad things following wherever I go."

"I didn't mean it like that."

"It's alright, really." He picked her hand up, squeezing it slightly. "I think it might be better if I found someplace else to stay. I'm sure I can find a job-"

"No," Hermione protested. She nipped at her lip before looking up at him. "Regulus, I need to apologize for avoiding you the last two days."

He smirked. "It's alright."

"No, it's not alright." She huffed. She really hated it when she had to snuff up enough courage to apologize and then the person she was apologizing too refused to just accept it with good grace. "It was uncalled for and completely undeserved. I just was upset and I took it out on you wrongfully and I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," he said softly, his fingers entwining with hers as he smiled down at her. "You know, it's not bad to be upset at times, or even angry. You have a lot of pent up emotion so I figure you have at least a whole week of anger to get out."

She opened her mouth to argue but then decided against it. He was right, she was angry. She had just always pushed the anger to the back and tried to forget about it. She was angry at Voldemort for the war. She was angry at the wizards who had chosen to ignore the situation until it was too late. She was angry at her parents and Ron for leaving her.

But mostly she was angry at herself for not being able to stop any of it. She was angry at herself for not being able to save them. She was angry at herself for just giving up.

"I don't want to be angry."

It was whispered so softly that Regulus wasn't even sure he heard it, but the tears were there in her eyes as she stared down at their joined hands. He muttered an oath as he pulled her into his embrace and held her while she finally let the tears fall.

**Just two more chapters**

**Love and Cheerios**

**MiZZ AmAyA**


	7. Seven

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own Harry Potter**

**Many thanks to my wonderful beta, Sarah, and to Curse Weaver who is simply amazing.**

**Seven**

Hermione woke to the smell of wood and something else, something particularly enticing. She drew in a deep breath, inhaling the scent as she tried to move closer to it. Oh yes, that was it. Melon.

Something tickled her nose as she bridged the gap between sleep and those last few moments of consciousness. She raised a hand to brush whatever it was away, but stopped when she encountered skin.

Naked skin.

Naked skin that wasn't her own.

Hermione's eyes shot open as she attempted to leap back. However, an arm around her waist prevented her from being able to move and so she ended up making an undignified "Ugh."

She followed the arm to the person and sighed in relief. It was just Regulus. Hermione scoffed mentally at that thought. Yeah, just Regulus, like that was nothing to worry about.

She eyed the sheet that covered his lower half. He didn't have a shirt on. What else did he not have on? Even as that little question entered her mind, she began to grow curious. What if he-

Hmm, it was almost too much to ask for.

She slammed her eyes shut and covered them with her hand. What was she talking- well, thinking- about? This was Regulus, brother to Sirius, time traveler, and her houseguest that she was thinking about. She didn't need to be thinking about whether he would have anything on or not.

Although, it would be nice…

_Alright_, Hermione mentally told herself_, you're curious, what woman wouldn't be in your position? _Her eyes seemed glued to that sheet now almost in question. It wouldn't hurt really, would it? He was asleep after all, and he was in her bed. Certainly she had a right to make sure that he hadn't slept naked in her bed.

A quick glance back to his slumbering face gave her the courage she needed. Her fingers slowly itched their way down to the sheet. The skin of his lower abdomen burned her fingers, stirring the pilot light to a full blazing fire in her stomach. Slowly, the blanket rose from his-

"If you want to see me naked, all you have to do is ask."

Hermione screamed as she tried once again to jump back. This time, his arm wasn't holding her to him and so she fell, quite ungracefully, to the floor with a thump. She made a soft sound of protest as her bum connected to the hardwood. She wished she had gone with the carpet then.

Regulus leaned over the bed with a grin on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," she bit out, "just fine."

He chuckled softly as she rubbed her bum. He held his hand out to her. "Come on, it's safe, I'm decent enough."

The glower she sent him told him that she didn't appreciate his teasing one bit, but she took his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her onto the bed. She soaked in the softness of the bed before turning on him. "For your information, I did not want to see you naked. I was merely seeing if I would have to curse you for having the audacity to climb into my bed naked."

He didn't seem at all perturbed by her outburst. In fact, he was still grinning like a young boy as he stared at her. "Well, I'm afraid I don't have pink kitten night clothes to put on."

"Oh, don't even," she warned, jabbing her finger at his bare chest. She ran a hand over her bushy mass, trying to control it, even if it was an unsuccessful task. "What are you doing in my bed, anyway?"

"You had quite a grip on me last night. When you fell asleep, I did try to put you in bed, but every time I pulled away, you latched on tighter and started mewling."

She gave an indignant huff as she protested, "I do not mewl."

He patted her head affectionately, leaning towards her. "Sure you don't, Princess." He chuckled when that only seemed to make her scowl deepen. "It was cute, I assure you."

"I don't care whether it was cute or not." She picked up a handful of the now pink bedspread and hugged it to her. The room was just too bright for her liking and much too girly. She would love to see what his room looked like. "Did I really force you to sleep with me?"

His finger came up under her chin to make her look at him. "It wasn't that much of a hardship." He grinned when she looked at him questionably. "Your bed is fluffier than mine and not as pink."

The laughter bubbled out of her before she could stop it. Regulus seemed pleased as he pulled her into his arms. "See there, it's not too hard to laugh, now is it?"

As she pressed her face into his hair, she inhaled the sweet scent of melons. She pulled back and stared into his eyes as she stated, "Your hair smells like melons."

It took a full minute before what she said truly registered and then he was laughing. "You truly are one of a kind, you know that?"

Hermione concealed her grin of happiness by tucking her face back into the crook of his neck. His hair tickled her nose but she ignored it. This felt…_right_.

Regulus ran his hand down her hair. True, it didn't lay flat like many witches preferred, but he personally liked the texture. It gave it life. No one could ever make the charge that she was boring in the looks department.

When his finger got caught in a knot of her hair, he chuckled. He could feel her frowning into his neck as he worked at it. "I hate my hair," she muttered when he finally managed to get it out. Her breath spread across his skin like hot liquid. He was glad for the blanket still covering him at that moment.

"Well, I like it," he stated firmly, causing her to draw back to look at him in disbelief. "It gives you this wild, ethereal look about you."

"It makes me look like I haven't brushed my hair in days," she contradicted, trying to flatten it just a little. "Sometimes I wonder what it would look like short. Then again, it probably would just look like a giant puff ball."

"I don't think it would look bad, but I like it just as it is," he argued, tugging lightly on a rebellious strand. "Look at it this way, no other woman has hair like yours."

She gave him a completely seriously look as she replied, "There may very well be a reason for that." She curled back into him, telling herself it was just because he was warm. "I don't want to do anything today."

"Well, it is a Sunday," he reasoned, playing with her hair as he pulled her tightly against him. "We could just lounge about; have a late breakfast, and then lounge about some more."

"I would say that's perfect except for the fact that my house looks like a doll house. Really, it's okay while I have my eyes closed, but long term? I think I'll take my chances in the cold."

Regulus chuckled as he leaned back against the headboard, keeping her tight against him. "True. We could take a walk, then." He turned to her so that he could watch her reaction as he said the next bit. "Or maybe we could take that trip to Hogwart's like you had wanted to do earlier."

Hermione looked a bit sheepish as she muttered, "I already have."

When she finally sucked up the courage to look at him, there was a look in his eyes that made her want to apologize for whatever it was. He looked almost hurt as he uttered a soft, "I see," before turning his head to stare out the window.

"Regulus, I-"

"Did you find anything, then?" His eyes met hers and the look was instantly masked. In fact, she couldn't read anything in his gaze as he stood slowly from the bed. "Did you find how to send me back to my own time?"

"Not really, I-"

"Guess we should get dressed, then." He was walking towards the door, not looking at her as he spoke. "I can be ready in ten minutes."

"Regulus-"

He turned to look at her. "It's alright, Hermione, I'm not going to fight you. I don't belong here. I don't belong in this time, house, or here with you so I should just go back before too much time has passed."

It felt as if cold ice was running through her veins. His words stung. She didn't want him to go back. She had grown used to his company, she _enjoyed_ his company. "Regulus, I-"

He sighed in frustration as he rested his head against the frame of the door. "I thought this was what you wanted, for me to go back to where I came from. Why are you putting up so much of a fight?"

"I don't know, alright," she shouted as she jumped from the bed. "I just don't know." Her head fell into her hands as she fought to regain her composure. His gaze burned into her, she could feel the heat from the misty grey orbs.

"Make up your mind, Hermione. Do you want me to go or not?"

Hermione looked up at him. His look was one she had seen on Sirius many of times when he had been preparing himself for disappointment. He looked so hard, like nothing could pierce his exterior, but then that was what he was trying to tell her, wasn't it?

"No, I don't," she whispered before she fled, head down, to the bathroom. She blasted the water and sank down into the tub, ignoring his persistent knocks at the door.

oooOooo

Regulus hung in head in his hands as he sat on her bed, waiting for her to emerge. Why the hell was it that every time they had a conversation, one of them messed it up in some way?

He acknowledged his fault. He had bristled when she had mentioned that she had gone to Hogwart's. He couldn't help it, it was his defense. He had learned at an early age to expect disappointment, to prepare for it.

He had messed up this time, though. He should have just…

Well, he should have done a lot of things really, but none of that mattered at the moment. Right now, he just needed to apologize to Hermione for being an arse.

He stood when he heard the shower shut off. She was probably stalling for time, hoping that he would leave or be somewhere else by now. It usually didn't take her so long to shower.

Regulus was waiting by the door when she opened it, preventing her from ducking back in and slamming it shut. He stepped towards her, holding onto her free arm. The other was clutching the towel to her chest. "Hermione," he began softly, trying to get her to look up at him.

When she looked up at him finally, it was clear why she had been in there so long. Without preamble, he took her into his arms and held her as a few final tears slid from her eyes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her hair.

She shook her head against him, her hands coming up to rest on his back. She sniffled a few times as she fought back the tears. How was it that she could go so long without crying, and then in span of a few days he could have her crying all the time?

"Please don't cry," he whispered as he stroked her hair. "Don't cry because of me. I was an arse. I shouldn't have jumped on you like that."

Hermione chuckled softly against his chest as she leaned her head back. "I think we're both on edge lately with everything that's been happening." She took in a deep breath, reaching her hand between them to straighten her towel. "Maybe this was good for us."

He smiled bemusedly. "How so?"

"Releases some of the tension, you know. Clears the air, in a way." She groaned slightly. "I'm not making much sense, am I?"

Regulus smiled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her tightly to him. "You're making perfect sense." He pulled away and directed her towards her wardrobe. "Now, get dressed in something warm while I go shower. We'll go for a walk later on."

oooOooo

When Hermione had reached the top of the mountain behind Hogsmeade, not only were her legs sore from the hike, but her bum as well from the many falls on the way up. Regulus was still chuckling from the last one as she stood at the top, muttering under her breath and rubbing her sore bottom.

"It wasn't funny," Hermione informed him as she caught a glance of him still laughing.

"Yes, it was," he argued with a mischievous grin. "How, pray tell, do you fall when you're not even moving?"

"I was standing on a sheet of ice," she grumbled, folding her arms over her chest. "Besides, you weren't even a gentleman about it. A gentleman wouldn't have stood there and laughed, he would have helped me up."

"You should have seen yourself, though." He walked over to her, placing his arm around her shoulders. "You had this look of proud accomplishment on your face as you stood here, and then, there you went."

She playfully slapped his arm as she marched away from him, careful not to slip on any hidden ice. "Yeah, well, I don't find it particularly amusing."

He pulled one of the heart suckers that he had grabbed from the house out of his pocket and held it out to her, a playful grin on his face. "Would a lollipop make it all better?"

She glowered at him for a moment before she couldn't keep it in anymore and laughed. She poked his chest with a digit as she snatched the sucker from his hand. "I'm still mad at you, you know." She pulled the plastic from the sucker and laughed at the message on it.

"What?" Regulus asked, turning the sucker around to get a look at it. 'Falling For You' was written in bold white across the red heart.

Hermione popped it in her mouth and stared out at the view before them. Hogsmeade was covered in a fine dusting of snow, the little buildings looking like a picture out of a book. She walked towards the edge to get a better look. She felt Regulus come up beside her and smiled when he wrapped an arm around her to keep her from falling.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" she asked softly, leaning towards him. She twirled the sucker around in her fingers, looking at it instead of up at him.

"What is?"

"This," she motioned out to the village below them with her free hand, "all of this. It's so amazing and yet so few really stop to look at it. The wizarding world remains oblivious to so many things around them."

"I think that can be said for everyone, Princess, not just wizards." He smiled as he thought back to what, to him, would have been only a few months ago, but was, in fact, over twenty years ago. "While in The Dark Lord's ranks, I grew used to the darkness of the world that he was creating. Never would I have believed that there could be beauty in anything during that time, but then that began to change."

She looked up with him, her fingers stilling the sucker in her hand. "How so?"

"I became acquainted with Lucius Malfoy." He chuckled softly at her look of disgust. "I know, he is an evil man, but he has an appreciation for beauty that I doubt can be matched. By associating with him, I began to believe again that could be light and goodness." He shook his head. "It was around that time that I began questioning my allegiance."

"He's still alive, you know," Hermione told him softly. "During the final battle, he made the decision to turn against Voldemort for his family. They all made it through actually." She smiled at him. "He has a son who's my age. Bit of a prat, really, but he's more amenable now."

She looked up at him to see a small smile playing on his face. "I can take you to see them, if you like. Draco works with Harry at the Ministry now, so I'm sure he could manage to set something up."

Regulus looked down at her as he considered it. With a small shake of his head, he said, "No, I think not. Not yet, anyway."

He stepped back from the ledge and held his hand out to her. Grinning mischievously, he said, "Come, Princess, I'll hold your hand so you don't fall."

She shoved him as she walked past, grinning from ear to ear despite herself. She knew she was treading on dangerous ground here- not only on the ice of the mountain, but also on the dangerous path she was venturing down as she allowed herself to care for Regulus Black.


	8. Eight

**DISCLAIMER: I have no claims on the HP universe, sadly...**

**So I lied earlier. There are nine chapters, not eight...so still one more to go. **

**Thanks again to Sarah for being my beta and to Curse Weaver, the greatest pal a person could have.**

**Eight**

Regulus marvelled at the silky strands as he ran his hand through Hermione's hair. Despite the bristle pad appearance, it was actually quite manageable at times, except for when she first woke up. He loved the feel of it sliding against his hand. Strange, really, when he thought about it. It was nothing like what he had instilled on him that a woman's- a pureblood woman's- hair should be like.

Hermione had grown used to this small act, often laying her head in his lap as they read in the evenings so he could do it. It was calming, in a way, and comfortable. She couldn't fathom why he would even want to touch it. She liked her rat's nest, but had settled with the fact that others found the mass too wild and not at all what hair should look like.

Her eyes left her book as his hand delved into the bushy mass again, flickering to him. He was reading his own book, completely oblivious to how much his actions were affecting her. She turned the page of her book, but her eyes stayed on him.

He was so different from his brother. Sure, he held the same playfulness and mischievousness in him that Sirius had, and he could pout just like his brother too. At times she would see the spark in his eye that lit up every time he drew her into a heated debate, the same way Sirius had when he sought an argument with her.

And then there were the times when he didn't know she was looking. He would wear a forlorn expression as he would flip through some of the stuff that she had retrieved from the Black House. He would gaze at his belongings and she could see the lost little child inside that just wanted to find his way home. He sought for recognition, any kind, and in the end he had lost himself in the journey.

They had only seen Sirius, she soon realized. Even when the eldest Black brother had turned his back on the family and Regulus had stepped up to be the perfect son, they had only seen Sirius. It hadn't mattered that Regulus had entered Voldemort's ranks; it hadn't mattered that he was keeping the family name from being soiled in pureblood society; it hadn't mattered that he gave up his youth for something much larger.

Sirius had been meant to be the ideal son, the one bragged about between families and the one to lead their family to success. Instead of disowning everything about them as they had announced, they had allowed the wound to fester and didn't even take time to notice their youngest who was trying so hard to be the son they had always wanted.

He sought for the approval that Sirius had never needed or required.

Hermione raised herself up from his lap when his hand left her hair and turned to look at him. He stared curiously back at her as she touched his cheek hesitantly, running her finger down the stubble of his jaw.

"Hermione-"

She placed a finger over his lips to stop him. She didn't want him to speak right now, not yet. She let her finger drift over his lower lip and down to his chin. There was a small scar there, barely noticeable if not for the slight colour difference between it and his skin.

"How did you get this?" she asked softly, flicking her finger over the scar.

"Sirius." He swallowed, his chin wobbling slightly when he did so. "I was only six at the time. He had caught me outside with his broom. Our parents had got it for him the day before and I had only wanted to try it out. He whacked me over the head with it, and when I fell, I hit the sharp corner of a rock."

"Hmm." She continued the journey over his face, encountering another small scar like the first resting just below his left ear. "And this one?"

"Sirius, again." He smiled at her lazily. "I was eight at the time, I believe. Yes, I do believe that's right. I caught him sneaking out of the house one night going to Merlin knows where. He simply ignored me as he climbed through the window and, when I went to follow him, he shoved me back inside and into the corner of a nightstand."

His eyes glazed over slightly as he thought back to that night. "I never saw him move so fast. He jumped back through the window so fast and was right there. I didn't even know I was bleeding until he began cursing and pressing one of his shirts to my head." He grinned at her. "He told me I was a stupid brat who should get my own damn life instead of following him, but he didn't leave me until the blood had stopped. Even then he helped me into his bed, staying there the entire night instead of going out."

Hermione returned his smile as she shifted closer. She found another scar lying just along his hairline, this one bigger than the other two. "What happened here?"

He laughed. "Sirius, yet again." He reached up; touching the old battle scar himself, his fingers brushing hers. "It was my first year at Hogwart's and I had been sorted into Slytherin the night before. When the hat had called out my house, the only person I could see was Sirius and his disappointed look."

"I was with a bunch of Slytherins the next day when we ran into him and his gang," he continued. "He ignored me completely, acting as if I wasn't even there." Hermione could see how hurt he had been by that simple action by the look on his face. "He insulted me like I was just another Slytherin instead of his brother. I hadn't even done anything."

"Did he curse you?" she asked softly, stroking the patch of skin.

"No," he said with a voice laden with bitterness, "but he may as well have. The Slytherins I were with were fourth years and hated my brother for turning his back on his 'pureblood duties.' They went to curse him as he walked off with his friends, laughing, and I stopped them. They cornered me down in the common room with a couple others and taught me what would happen should I interfere again."

"I am so sorry, Regulus," she whispered, touching his hand that was on his forehead.

"Don't be," he replied with brutal honesty, "I learnt a lot that day, a lot that I never forgot. My brother dismissed me as just another member of my family that day without giving me a chance. Funny thing is, I still would have done anything for his approval."

Hermione smiled as she cupped his cheek, settling herself closer to him. "Of course you would have, that's what we do with the people we love." She stroked his skin with her thumb as they stared at each other. "He still loved you, you know," she whispered after a moment. "He might not have shown it, but he did."

He scoffed lightly, but didn't move away. "No, Hermione. To him I was just another Black, on my way to be just like all the other pureblood clones."

"You silly Black, he was scared that they would change you into one of them. He did love you, so much that he couldn't stand to see you with them. I didn't know Sirius for very long, but I learned fast that he instantly started putting up a guard the moment he was afraid that someone he loved would get hurt, most often by joking around." She brought her other hand up to cup his face. "He was hurting just as much as you were."

"Nothing could hurt Sirius."

"That's where you're wrong." She smiled softly at him, leaning forward towards him. "You know, he avoided talking about you-"

"How is that supposed to prove that he loved me?" he asked with a roll of his eyes.

"Hush, you," she said, chuckling, "and let me finish." She smiled when he made a show of placing his hand over his mouth and looking up at her innocently. "As I was saying, he avoided talking about you all the time, but whenever someone would bring up your name, he would instantly stiffen and his eyes would look at anything but everyone who was in the room. You know what I saw in those eyes?"

"Disappointment? Anger? Resentment?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "It was the same look that showed every time someone would talk about James. He mourned you, more than you could ever know."

He didn't say anything as he closed his eyes. She remained quiet, her hands remaining on his face, as she watched and waited for a reaction, any reaction. And then his eyes opened, and he was reaching toward her. He removed her hands with one hand, while his other ran over her face. She leaned into the touch, eyes closing and a soft sigh leaving her lips.

He traced her jaw line with one finger, running his hand down the column of her throat and to her neck, pulling her forward. The light stubble dusting his jaw scraped her skin as his face settled beside hers, his lips just ghosting over her ear as he breathed in her scent.

"Talk to me, Hermione," he whispered his breath spreading out along her neck and shoulders. "Talk to me."

She drew in a breath, steadying herself as his hand one hand ran along her hip to her back, his other still resting on her neck. "Ron died in the war," she found herself saying, her voice cracking slightly. "He was mine and Harry's best friend, the third in our group."

"You must have loved him."

She smiled, remembering Ron in all his glory- with his mouth full of food and begging for help on his schoolwork. "I did. He was like a brother to me. I never had any siblings of my own, so both Harry and Ron became mine."

"Hmm," he angled his head slightly, so that his lips were just hovering above the hollow of her neck. He could smell the vanilla on her skin. She always dabbed a bit of vanilla extract on instead of buying perfume. It made her smell like cookies.

"A lot of people, a lot of my friends, died in the war." Her voice wobbled as her eyes misted over, her hands coming up to rest on his back. "I saw them die. I saw their lifeless faces as we walked through the battlefield after to identify bodies. Some of them were too young; they had no idea what they were getting themselves into."

"They believed in the cause," he whispered into her ear, his lip grazing the lobe. "They were fighting for something they believed in."

She agreed with him, but couldn't find the words to say it. "I can still see their faces sometimes," she confided, "when I shut my eyes. Harry sees them too. Even with the war over, it'll never be over for us."

"One day it will. One day you will understand why everything happened the way it did, and you will find forgiveness in all the faces."

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut even as the tear slid from it, sliding down her cheek and melting against his skin. Her teeth cut into her lower lip to stop the sob from pouring out. She did need their forgiveness, she realized, she wanted their forgiveness. She wanted their forgiveness for not being able to save them, for not being able to provide help when they had needed it the most.

"You are just one person," Regulus told her, as if sensing the direction of her thoughts.

"I still should have protected them somehow. Everyone always told me that I was smart; well, why then couldn't I think of a way to save them?" she demanded, squeezing him as she cried. "I should have been able to protect them-"

He continued to hold onto her while she cried into his shoulder, his one hand stroking her back in a comforting gesture. She needed this release, as he had needed the one she had provided him earlier. She had allowed her wounds to fester too long, each emotion building up on top of one another until she had nowhere else to store them.

"It's alright, love," he whispered, "everything's alright."

"No, it's not," she whispered, her voice finally calming as she reined her emotions in slightly. "Do you want to know something funny?"

His gaze flicked to the side, looking at her from the corner of his eye even though all he could see was her hair. He could feel her stiffen slightly as a memory rocked through her. "What, love?"

"I was so worried during the war for my parents. I was convinced that Voldemort would use them to get to me, which very likely could have happened. So I erased their memories, created new ones for them, and sent them away to live with different names." She gave a bitter laugh. "And in the end, it was a muggle death they experienced."

He forced himself to not show his shock in his body language. Pressed this close to her, she would notice. He allowed the news to digest, his entire being still, her breathing slightly ragged.

He knew that this was what she had meant when she had said that she was alone.

"Hermione, I'm-"

She cut him off with a small squeeze. "Please don't say you're sorry," she whispered hoarsely, his hair brushing her lips as she talked. "I hate it when people say they're sorry."

She wanted to weep. She wanted to curl up on her bed and just lie there until everything- every emotion, every feeling, every memory- washed from her. She wanted to move past the mourning stage and, yet, she still clung desperately to the hope that it was all a dream and she would wake up with them waiting downstairs for her with breakfast on the table.

"It's okay to be mad at them for leaving you, love." He felt her body stiffen, her nails digging slightly into him through his shirt. "They will understand why you're mad."

"But I shouldn't be mad at them."

"It's still alright," he told her, the hand on her neck moving up to stroke her mane. He pulled back just a fraction so that his lips brushed against the outer portion of her cheek. "They will understand, Princess."

Her body shook as the emotions she still held within overwhelmed her. He pressed his lips against her skin, mouth open slightly so he could inhale her flavour. "They loved you, and I'm sure they wouldn't want you to hold everything in, blaming yourself for their deaths."

"I know," she admitted softly. He could feel her tears crashing into his face. He moved his hand down to her free cheek to wipe the tears away, marveling at the soft texture of her cheeks and the warmth underneath his fingertips.

He pushed the hair away from the right side of her face, his own face pressed against her left. He pulled back so that his face was directly in front of hers, their breath mixing as they drew in and let out oxygen.

The hand on her back trickled its way up, fingers lightly dancing over her spine and sending shivers through her body. She didn't allow her eyes to stray from his, though, as they allowed the fires burning inside them to boil to the surface.

"I'm scared," she whispered suddenly, her eyes widening as he moved a little closer, Her hand came up and around to rest over his heart, pleased to note that it was beating just as fast as hers must be at that moment.

"I am too," he told her, the fingers splayed across her cheek gently moving to massage her skin. He smiled at her, his lips almost brushing hers as their noses bumped gently. "But there are times when you just have to take a deep breath and leap."

The smile was slow in appearing, but it came as she jutted her chin out slightly so that their mouths bumped, but neither moved to take it further. "Wise words, Mr. Black."

He chuckled. "They come from a very wise man who I have recently come to respect more than my brother." He moved so that her upper lip caught between his for a moment, tasting the vanilla lip balm she wore. She closed her eyes with a soft gasp.

"What if you just disappear one morning?" Voicing her fears only made them seem more real and she flinched slightly at the possibility. She no longer wanted to find a way to send him back. In fact, she would probably destroy any possible means to remove him from this time and replace him in his own. But she couldn't deny that there were some strokes of faith that not even she could change.

"I won't."

She opened her eyes to find him staring at her seriously, almost going cross-eye because of his close proximity, but she didn't want him to move away. "How can you be so sure of that?"

When he grinned this time, his mouth was flush against hers, teasing her as he parted his lips and allowed his tongue to dart out for a taste. "Let's just say I got a personal promise from Cupid."

**I apologize for the length of time it took for me to get this up.**


	9. Nine

**DISCLAIMER: Don't own it...**

**Thanks to my beta, Sarah, and to Curse Weaver**

_**(Important Note: All memories will be in italics. They will happen randomly at the will of the author because she can. Cheers!)**_

**Nine**

_February 14: Two Years Later_

Hermione finished her hair off, sticking one more pin into the mass to hold up the frizzy locks. It didn't look half bad, really, especially with the gel in there to hold it back. She had it trimmed a little while back to make it a little more manageable, but hadn't cut too much off at Regulus' request. Despite the obviously messy array, he loved her hair and asked her, quite frequently, to keep it long.

She applied a single coating of vanilla lip balm, forgoing all other makeup. She never had much patience with the stuff, and had never really learned the correct way of applying it. She was fortunate in having shared a room with Lavender and Parvati, though, merely for the fact that she did own a tube of mascara and lip balm which could do just as well as a hundred makeup products.

Hermione hummed a soft tune to herself as she walked from her bathroom and to the wardrobe. Inside her clothes were hung neatly beside Regulus'. The dress she had picked was one Regulus had seen two weeks prior and had mentioned that it would compliment her form. She had scoffed at him then, but had returned hours later to buy the dress. She had it hid until this morning when she took it out and hung it up so that the wrinkles would fall out of it.

_Hermione glared at the man before her, her hands on her hips as she raced through a number of spells in her mind to send at him. He had the audacity to simply stand there and look innocent even after what he had done, knowing that she was extremely mad at him._

_He smirked as she continued to simply stand there. Experience had taught him that if he was patient enough to wait it out, her temper would begin to slowly wane. She had a ferocious temper, but it wore off quickly. She couldn't seem to stay mad for long at anyone, especially him._

_Finally, she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "That was incredibly stupid, you know." She narrowed her eyes on him as his smirk grew and he crossed the room._

_He rested his hands on her upper arms as he gave her forehead a quick peck. "I didn't get hurt, you know. Everything turned out alright, we're all fine."_

_She smacked his chest. "The point being, it might not have! What were you thinking, trying it out? Your first clue that it was dangerous should have been the fact that the twins had created it and didn't take it to get it tested by professionals first. It was obviously illegal."_

"_Not quite," he said gently, knowing that to make sure her temper did not return he would have to tread carefully. "It was just that some of the ingredients are frowned upon-"_

"_And with good reason."_

"_-and they just wanted to see if it would work before they took it to get it approved." He gave her his winning smile as he finished._

_Her glare didn't falter as she stepped from him and headed toward their room. "It was their product and they should have tested it. As it is, don't expect any potion from me to heal your cuts and you can sleep on the couch."_

"_Hermione-"_

_The door slammed shut before he could get another word in. "Hermione," he whined, resting his forehead against the door. "Princess? Come on, let me in. I'm sorry."_

_Hermione opened the door with a huff, shoving the pillow and blanket into his arms. "You're still sleeping on the couch."_

The portraits lining the walls smiled at her as she zipped up the back of the dress, tying off the halter top around her neck. They all told her how beautiful she looked, especially the images of Regulus that stared at her with that special glint in his eye.

She bent over to root in the bottom of the wardrobe for a pair of heels and received an appreciative whistle from one of the frames, causing her to roll her eyes and chuckle softly. She found the shoes, finally, and slipped them on, slightly unsteady at being unused to the heel.

Hermione walked over to the full length mirror standing in the corner. Regulus had bought it as a present to her after his first pay check when he became an Auror. Harry had come over the day after their first kiss a year ago and offered him the job. He had to go through a two-month training course, but after that, he became Harry's full-time partner and the two were soon friends.

_Hermione smiled, leaning back against him as he came up behind her and covered her eyes. "What are you doing?" she asked, cocking her head slightly, not dislodging his hands._

"_I have a surprise for you." His warm breath sent the all too familiar tingles down her spine as he whispered in her ear. "But you have to keep your eyes closed."_

_She grinned slightly as he began to lead her through the house. She was a little hesitant. Even though she had lived in the house for quite a while, she still didn't know the layout and having her sight removed, even with him leading her, made her slightly nervous._

"_You're not going to let me trip over anything, are you?" _

_He chuckled, kissing the back of her neck softly. "Would I do that to you, Princess?"_

"_I don't know," she mused teasingly, "you have been spending time with the twins lately and it is something they would do for a laugh."_

_His warm laughter washed over her like a hot bath, warming her from head to toe. "Yeah, but they're evil." _

_It was an ongoing joke between them that the Weasley elders couldn't have possibly birthed the twins. After the first meeting between the duo and Regulus, he had promptly turned to Hermione and stated that the only being that could have spawned two as mischievous as those- and said that having known a rowdy group of mischief makers himself- was the god Loki, who was evil in his own right._

"_Still, where are you taking me, Regulus?"_

"_To the bedroom," he stated simply as he led her on._

_Her brow arched primly as she stopped in front of the closed door. "Why?"_

_He laughed once more as he pressed himself close, his voice ringing softly in her ear. "Because I am going to tie you to the bed and ravish you senseless."_

"_Uh-huh," she hummed, smiling at his teasing._

"_Shut your eyes." When she did so, he removed one of his hands briefly to swing open the door and to lead her inside. He stopped her near the window and removed his other hand, letting them slide down her body until the rested on her hips. "Alright, open them."_

_When she did, she let out a surprised gasp and immediately turned to hug him. The mirror was almost an exact replica of the one her mother had in her room. Hermione used to love going in there and standing in front of it, when she was younger, in her mother's dresses, pretending to be her. It had broken when she was ten and her mother had just never gotten around to getting a new one._

"_How did you-?" She couldn't find the words to finish as she looked from him to the mirror in amazement. _

"_Do you like it?" he asked with a small smile._

"_Oh, Regulus, I love it." She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and squeezed him. "Thank you so much."_

_He held her to him, his lips pressing lightly against her temple. And then he had said it. "I love you." Three little words which he had yet to utter and now he was holding her and saying it, whispering it over and over and he kissed her temple._

Hermione left the room with a smile on her face. She still had a little bit before Regulus would return. He had to work today with Harry. He had been upset about it at first, but she had assured him that it was alright.

Since their first Valentine's Day spent together two years ago, he had made the solemn promise to her to make each one special. He wanted her to remember them forever, he had told her. She smiled at that. Each day was special to her, each holding a special memory that she would hold in her heart forever.

She never would have thought it when she had first met him, but Regulus was a romantic at heart. He went out of his way to do little things to show he cared at each and every turn. He always made her feel special and she loved him more with each passing day, even when he made her want to curse him when he did something incredibly stupid.

Like every couple, she reflected as she walked into the kitchen, they had their ups and downs. As two very opinionated and stubborn people, they often clashed over trivial things that they would laugh about later. But during that moment when they would argue, everyone knew to get out of their way for they would each fight to win the small battle.

And then everything would be fine the next minute. One of them would give slightly, and the other would be right there to wrap their arms around the other and kiss away the hateful words spat without thought.

_Hermione held back her laugh as she grimaced at the state the kitchen was now in due to the male counterpart she shared her life with. He had his back to her as he read over the book with a furrowed brow, one hand resting on a cup full of oil._

_She wanted to go over to help him, at the very least to save the kitchen from his hurricane-like presence there, but she remained where she was. He wasn't a very good cook, something which they had both established early on in their relationship, but they had accepted that with good grace. Hermione would do the cooking and he would clean if they did not go out for a meal. It was a process which worked quite well for the both of them._

_She had wondered earlier this morning why he had asked her to go over to Luna's for a bit. She had been hurt at the time, thinking that he had forgotten that today, February first, marked the one year anniversary of the day he had arrived at her front door, freezing and almost knocking at death's door._

_She smiled. She was glad she had come home early. He looked so out of place in the kitchen, but it was so sweet that he was actually trying to make her dinner when he clearly had no idea what he was doing._

"_Be careful," she blurted out as he about dumped some of the shell from the egg into the mixture._

_He turned around quickly, part of the egg slinging out and plopping on the floor. His face coloured slightly at having been caught. "What are you doing home so early?"_

_Hermione grinned like a cat as she stalked into the kitchen, walking up to him so she could wrap her arms around his waist. "I missed you," she said simply, giving him a quick peck on the lips, "so I decided to come home. Is that a problem?"_

_He sighed. "Well, I was making you dinner, _but_ since you did come home early," he grinned roguishly, "I guess you could help me with it."_

_Her nose wrinkled up as she smiled at him. "I guess I could." He let his lips linger against hers, smiling against them as he held her. She broke away from him to check whatever it was he had in the oven. It smelled like it was getting ready to burn. She turned the dish around and adjusted the heat so that it could cook slower for the little time it had left._

_He wrapped an arm around her waist as she straightened back up. "I got you something," he whispered, smiling against her cheek, "but maybe I'll wait till later to give it to you."_

_She turned in his arms, smiling up at him coyly. "Oh, but you know you want to give it to me now." She nipped his lower lip with her teeth, tugging on it playfully._

"_Maybe," he said with a grin as he brought a small, red velvet box out from behind his back, holding it in his palm._

_Hermione's breath caught in her throat as she stared at the little box and then up to him. At his insistent, "Go on, open it," she took it from his palm and flipped open the lid._

_Inside, on the plush black cushion, rested a yellow Valentine heart candy with the "It's Love" written in red. The bubble of laughter built inside of her until it spilled out at the sight. She smiled up at Regulus. "Thank you."_

_He grinned at her for an instant before crashing his lips upon hers and stealing her breath away. She closed her eyes as she leaned into the kiss. Even after a year, she never tired of his kisses or the way they made her weak in the knees._

_The ring was on the third finger of her left hand before she even opened her eyes to his tender grin. "Marry me?" was all he whispered before she maneuvered them both to the kitchen floor._

Hermione removed the last pot from the stove and moved everything to the table. She lit the candles with a slight wave of her hand, bathing the room in candlelight. She smiled as a trickle of rose petals flowed from the ceiling, stopping before they hit the ground. She had asked Cupid for a little help, although refusing to allow him to take over in the decoration department as she remembered vividly the fiasco of their first year.

The room had little touches here and there to remind them both of their first Valentine's Day together. She chuckled as she remembered how they had both celebrated with a bottle of some of the finest mead from Hogsmeade when Cupid's decorations had disappeared that evening. They tended to shy away from the colours red and pink now.

Her eyes danced across the room as she surveyed her hard work. Yes, it was perfect for tonight. Her eyes caught on the single portrait on the wall, the occupants caught up so in their embrace that it seemed as if was an ordinary photo. It was by far, Hermione's favourite portrait in the house.

_The waves against the shoreline created a gentle melody for the couple as they held tightly to each other. Their smiles were only for each other and no one existed beyond them at that moment._

_The wedding had taken place in Vertiná, a small wizarding community in Spain. They had opted to have it there merely because it was too cold in England. The couple had insisted on an outdoor wedding, saying that they wished to start their union with the stars shining down on them._

_The ceremony had been short and sweet, as the couple had wished it to be. They had kept it to a small event, inviting close friends and family. That the Malfoys had accepted the invitation extended to them. Surprisingly, Regulus had strengthened the bond he once had with the elder Malfoy and even found a friend in the heir._

_Everyone watched as the two rocked to the gentle hum of the music and the waves. The camera clicked as the two leaned towards each other, their faces almost touching as they stayed within the embrace._

Hermione was waiting by the table with a smile on her face as the front door opened. Regulus stopped short, his mouth falling open slightly as he took in the decorations. When his eyes landed on Hermione and raked over her, he smiled, walking over to her and taking her into his arms.

"You look sensational," he breathed, his eyes closed as he inhaled her sweet scent.

"Oh, a big adjective," she teased, "I must look good."

He chuckled softly as his lips worked at her jaw line, lightly nipping at her skin. "You do, positively radiant."

Hermione chuckled softly and pulled away, holding his hand as she led him to the table. "Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered as she guided him into one of the chairs.

Regulus grinned at her mischievously as his gaze flickered over the food she had prepared. "Are we actually going to eat this year?" He leaned forward and snagged her hand in his, kissing each knuckle while his eyes remained trained on hers. "Or are we going to resort to more…_pleasurable_ activities?"

She ran her hand down his jaw, loving the feel of his whiskers against the back of her hand, as she smiled at him. "You'll just have to wait and see, now won't you?"

She opened a bottle of wine from The Leaky Cauldron's bartender's secret stash and poured some in the glass sitting in front of him. She closed the container and then picked up her own glass of water.

"Are you not having any?" he inquired as he sipped at the rich liquid. He remembered having mentioned to her once that he loved this wine. He had first tried it when he had dined out with Lucius, shortly before his marriage to Hermione.

"No, not tonight I think," she said with a sly smile above the rim of her cup. She gestured towards his glass. "Did I get the right kind?"

"Yes, love, thank you." He poked his finger in the icing of the chocolate cake, grinning and dodging her hand easily when she swiped at him. "Delicious," he murmured, tasting the frosting.

"For that, you just might have to wait on getting your gift," she said with a small pout, her eyes sparkling.

Regulus stood from his chair and helped her from hers, holding her tightly to him as he grazed her lips leisurely with his own. She could taste the wine on his tongue. "What did you get me?" he whispered, running his tongue along the inner portion of her lower lip.

"Evil tactic," she gasped as his tongue danced along the inseam, not delving in but teasing her with slow strokes. She pulled back with a smile and grabbed a small box from the table, holding it out to him. "Happy Valentine's Day, Mr. Black."

He grinned and took the box from her hands. "Happy Valentine's Day, Mrs. Black." It popped open easily, the little pink heart candy inside standing out against the black velvet lining. But it was not the heart he saw, but the words written in white.

_It's A Girl._

**Thought that I might as well upload this since I overslept (I had three clocks set, how is this possible?!) and I missed class... THE END**


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